Taking Care of Sophia
by Foxy527
Summary: A member of Steve's former SEAL team commits suicide. Steve is called upon to help his younger sister who is devastated by her brothers death. What happens after 15 years when Sophia is suddenly all grown up?
1. Chapter 1

Steve walked in to HQ to find Joe White waiting for him unexpectedly. Curiosity took the better of him as he walked into the office to see what was going on. After they had exchanged greetings, Steve learned to his dismay that this was not a social call.

A member of Steve's former SEAL team had been found dead. Suicide, they said. Giovanni "Gio" Manetti was on Steve's SEAL team. The two had been like brothers during their years in the naval academy, SEAL training, and then serving together with a SEAL team. Over the years, Steve had grown close to the Manetti family. Gio's mother, Rosalina, was the stereotypical Italian mother and had taken Steve under her wing like he was one of her chicks. After finding out that Steve's mother had died and he hadn't lived with his father for years, she had basically "adopted" him as one of her own. Anytime Gio received a care package from his mom, Steve got one too. Whenever she was worried about Gio, she was worried about Steve too. He just became part of the family.

Everyone who knew Rosalina called her "Momma Rosa", and Steve had been no exception. In fact, he remembered with amusement one incident the first time Gio had taken him home to meet the family. After Steve repeatedly called her "Mrs. Manetti" one too many times, she had smacked his hand, "How many times do I tell you, it's _Momma Rosa_!" Gio had laughed out loud at the expression on Steve's face at getting scolded by his little Italian mother, but to his credit, Steve had never called her Mrs. Manetti again.

Upon leaving the Navy, Gio had been one of the ones who could not assimilate back into civilian life. He suffered from PTSD, and although Steve, Joe, and several other had tried to help him over the past few years, they couldn't lift him out of the dark hole that eventually consumed him. He had given up…..and taken his own life.

"I'm sorry, son." Joe began, "I know you two were close. I told them we would notify the family, if you're up for it. I don't think they should find out from someone who didn't really know Gio."

Steve agreed even though it hurt like hell to imagine what he was going to have to do to inform Gio's mom and sister that Gio was gone. Sometimes life sucked. No other way to put it.

"If it's okay with you, I was thinking that I could tell his parents and you could tell his sister. Are you up for that?"

Honestly? No….He wasn't up for it. But he knew it had to be done. And Joe was right. Hearing the news from someone who loved Gio was a hell of a lot easier than hearing it from someone who didn't even know who he was.

*****************h50****************h50***************h50

Steve sat outside of Sophia's apartment for several minutes before he could make himself get out of the truck. Eventually, he made his way upstairs to knock tentatively at her door. He hadn't seen Sophia in years, so he was taken by surprise when the Italian beauty opened the door and smiled at him. She certainly wasn't the lanky, skinny, girl he remembered. In her place was a gorgeous woman with long black hair, olive toned skin, brown eyes, long legs, and curves that would make any man weep for joy. He had to swallow uncomfortably as he looked at her bright smile knowing that he was about to shatter the very world she lived in.

"Steve! What a nice surprise! What brings you here?" She looked outside the door expecting to see her brother there too. "Where's Gio?"

Seeing the serious look on his face, she was alarmed. She hated to ask, but she had to know. "Steve? What's wrong?"

Steve's face remained stoic. "Can I come in?" he asked her softly.

Sophia moved aside so Steve could come inside her apartment. Once inside, he turned to her. "Why don't you have a seat," he said as he pointed towards her couch.

She wouldn't hear of it. This had to be bad, she thought to herself with dread. "No. I don't want to sit down. Tell me what's wrong. Is it Momma? Is it Gio? What's going ON?!"

Steve moved to put his hands on either side of her arms. He looked as if he was about to cry which scared the hell out of her. Sophia had never seen her brother or Steve to the point that they would cry. They were Navy SEAL's, for God's sake…..It didn't get any tougher than that!

"Sophie, I'm so sorry…but I have to tell you that Gio was found unresponsive this morning."

The breath went out of her lungs and the world stood still for a moment. Sophia felt as if everything was spinning and she couldn't hear anything. What did it mean that he was _unresponsive?_

She swallowed hard before looking up at Steve. "What do you mean by _unresponsive?" _she demanded.

"He's gone, Soph. He killed himself."

Sophia felt as if the very floor she was standing on had been pulled out from under her. She'd heard about people collapsing at the news of such terrible grief but had never experienced it until now. Her legs gave way as she screamed in grief. Her fists reached out to punch and hit at Steve's chest as she screamed, but he quickly pulled her to him and held her close.

It was one of the worst moments of his life, no doubt. He had been devastated at losing his mother…then his father…..but now to lose his "brother in arms", he didn't know how to get through this.

"I'm so sorry, Sophie." He said as he held her close and let her cry.

***********h50************H50****************H50

_5:00 a.m._

Steve awoke to the sound of his phone ringing on the bedside table. He was momentarily tempted to ignore it since his body craved sleep. The alarm was set for 6:30 and he desperately wanted that extra ninety minutes. Knowing that wasn't an option, he reluctantly picked up the phone using his standard greeting.

"McGarrett."

"Steve?" The woman's voice was vaguely familiar, but considering his mind was still foggy from sleep, he couldn't place it at the moment.

"Yes, this is Steve McGarrett. Who is this?"

"Steve, it's Giovanni's momma. Rosalina."

It had been four weeks since Joe White showed up unexpectedly in Steve's office to inform him that Gio was dead. It had been difficult for Steve to process how the man who had always been so full of life and love could purposefully end his life, but PTSD wasn't something that was easy to overcome. As SEAL's reserved for the most complicated and dangerous missions, they had seen some of the worst that mankind had to offer during their years in service. Gio was one of those who had never been able to assimilate to "civilian life" after getting out of the Navy. Steve and others had tried to get help Gio to no avail and he had eventually succumbed to the nightmares that plagued him by taking his own life. Everyone had been devastated.

Hearing Rosalina on the other line, Steve was suddenly alert as he sat up in bed to answer her. "Momma Rosa, what's wrong?"

"It's Sophia. You know how much she loved her big brother, and I'm afraid she isn't handling things very well now that he is gone." Her voice cracked as she continued. "She's not answering her cell phone and I'm very worried about her. I called into her work and they said she called in sick two days ago and hasn't been back since."

Sophia had been understandably devastated at losing her brother. Steve was devastated too, but he had also felt guilty for not being able to take his eyes off of her the whole time. He couldn't deny that he was mesmerized by the woman she'd grown into. Before leaving, they had exchanged phone numbers and promised to keep in touch.

Steve called her a few times over the last weeks to check on her, and although she told him she was "fine", he knew it wasn't the case. There was a hollowness and emptiness in her voice that wasn't hard to pick up on. Unfortunately, work had kept him very busy and he hadn't been able to follow up with her like he wanted. Hearing that she wasn't going to work and wasn't keeping in touch with her mother either gave him a sinking feeling.

"When was the last time you talked to her?" Steve asked with concern growing in his voice as well.

"Three days ago. Please, can you help find her? I am out of my mind with worry."

"I'll do what I can. I'll call you soon, okay?"

"_Molte grazie_, Steve! I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to my Sophie."

I'll find her, Momma Rosa. Don't worry." Steve promised.

He was already getting out of bed when he hung up the phone. He quickly sent a text message to Sophia praying that she would reply.

"_Sophie…We need to talk. Call me."_

Then he took a quick shower so he could start his day with the first order of business being to find Sophia Manetti. A few minutes later, Steve heard the indicator on his phone that he had a text message and picked it up quickly to check.

"_I'm fine. Don't worry. Will call you soon. Love, S."_

Steve knew better. She wasn't "fine" and hadn't been "fine" since losing Gio. Steve had let her get away with that line for the last month, but he decided not to let her off the hook this time. If she was distancing herself from everyone, including her mother, there was a problem.

"_Not buying it. You need to call me. Otherwise, I'll just have to find you."_ he replied.

To Steve's frustration, he didn't get an answer before he went into HQ an hour later. On his way into the office, he'd called Chin to see if he would come in early. He hated to call in favors, but this one was important. He briefed Chin on what was going on and asked if he could trace Sophia's cell phone while he called some of the places he knew she frequented to see if anyone knew where she was. He also did a search of credit card transactions to see if she'd left town.

It didn't take long before Chin and Steve's searches both coincided. Chin tracked her phone to a local hotel which is where Steve's credit card transactions led him as well.

Steve knocked on the hotel door and didn't get an answer right away, so he tried again a little more forcefully.

"Sophie, its Steve. Open the door."

He heard her moving around inside and it wasn't long before he heard the door unlocking as she cracked it open just a bit. Steve's heart clenched in his chest at seeing her. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days and grief was still evident on her face. She also looked alarmingly thinner than the last time he'd seen her. Not waiting for her to invite him inside, he pushed open the door and walked in. He quickly scanned the room and found a disturbing amount of empty wine and liquor bottles on the counter.

"What are you doing here? How did you even find me?" Steve heard Sophia whisper behind him.

He turned to look at her. "Your mom called me this morning because she hasn't heard from you in days. She's worried about you….and frankly, so am I."

"There's no reason to worry about me, Steve. I'm fine."

Steve wasn't going to hear it. "Get your things. You're coming with me." He left no room for argument.

Sophia crossed her arms defiantly in front of her. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just barge in here and demand that I leave with you!"

Steve's expression remained calm. "Yes, I can." He pointed towards the empty bottles on the counter. "Obviously, you are not _fine._ You've stopped answering calls from your mom, you've called in sick to work, and you're hiding out in a hotel. You probably haven't eaten or slept in days and you're drinking too much. Sound about right?"

Sophia remained silent, her eyes refusing to meet his.

"You are coming with me and we're going to talk about what's going on. Let's go."

Sophia's expression grew furious. "What is it with you Navy guys ordering everyone around? I mean, you're like cavemen who think you can just walk in and take over!" Sophia was on the verge of tears even as she fought to keep them at bay.

Steve's voice softened as he moved to put his fingers under her chin, "Sophie, look at me."

She reluctantly looked up and the grief that filled her beautiful brown eyes was enough to break his heart. "I'm not leaving here without you, Soph. Now get your things together. You're coming with me." He paused for a moment before continuing in a halfway lighthearted manner…..hoping to break down her guard, "I mean…..as fun as it might be to bring out my 'inner caveman' and throw you over my shoulder to carry you out of here, I'd rather you just work with me and walk out on your own so we don't cause a scene."

The joke served it's purpose and won him a small smile from her. "Okay, fine. But I don't want to go back to my apartment…..and I don't want to go to Momma's because she will smother me. Literally. You know how she is. I can just hear her now: You need to _eat,_ bella…You need to _sleep_, bella…..Tell me what's wrong, bambina." She let out a big sigh and rolled her eyes for extra emphasis, "Honestly, I can't take it right now."

Steve smiled back at her. "She's just worried about you, '_bella'_," He repeated the endearment and Sophia couldn't help the way her heart did a little flip flop hearing the endearment (which meant "beautiful") on his lips.

"I just can't do it right now, Steve." Her face grew sad again. "Everything…." Her voice cracked before she composed herself again, "_Everything…_reminds me of him. I just can't believe he's gone."

"I know, sweetie. I know." Steve enveloped her in his arms as he kissed the top of her head, "We can go back to my place, okay? I'll just call Momma Rosa and let her know you're okay."

Sophia gave in and shook her head in surrender. Knowing how much Steve was like her brother, she knew she would never win this fight.

After Sophie got her things together and they checked out of the hotel, Steve put a call in to Rosalina.

"Sophie is with me, Rosa." He glanced towards Sophia as she heard her mother in the background.

"No, she's fine," Steve continued. "She just needs a little time to work some things out. She's going to be with me for a little while. I'll take care of everything."

Sophia heard her mother jabbering again before Steve smiled in her direction, "I promise to take good care of her ma'am. I'll bring her by to see you soon. Okay?" There was a brief pause. "Love you too, Rosa…. I'll talk to you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

After checking in with his team, Steve took Sophia back to his house. She had wanted to follow him in her own car, but considering the fact that she was visibly exhausted and may not be entirely sober, Steve insisted she would ride with him and they would pick up her car later. Realizing he wasn't going to change his mind, Steve could barely suppress his amusement when Sophia muttered something under her breath in Italian before relenting and getting her things together to leave.

They arrived at Steve's house by mid-morning.

"Want something to drink?" Steve asked her as they got settled.

"Got any wine?" Sophia asked hopefully.

Steve quirked an eyebrow at her because it was only 10 a.m. She had undoubtedly been using alcohol to numb the grief which was evidenced by the numerous bottles he had seen around the hotel room before they left. Knowing that wine was the last thing she needed right now, he offered her an alternative although there was only compassion in his voice as he asked, "Maybe we can take a break on the wine, okay? How about some coffee?"

Sophia didn't look especially pleased with that idea, but accepted the offer anyway. While Steve went into the kitchen to make coffee, she looked around and eventually made her way into the office/dining room where Steve kept many of his mementos from his days in the service. Among the pictures he had placed around, she found one of his entire SEAL team as well as one with him with Giovanni. It was a picture of Steve and Gio in their camouflage uniforms. Their faces were dirty but their smiles were bright as they laughed together. They both looked so young. So handsome. So full of life. She was still looking at the picture when Steve walked back with coffee in hand. He walked up behind her and reached around to offer her the cup. She accepted it and took a sip before turning towards him.

"You were both so handsome." She said, barely above a whisper.

"We _were_ handsome?" Steve joked which earned him a small chuckle.

"Yes, well…you've always been gorgeous." Realizing she'd said it out loud, her eyes widened in embarrassment and her cheeks flushed. Steve thought it made her look adorable and sexy at the same time. She tried to clarify, "I mean, Momma always said she felt sorry for any woman who met either one of you because you had too much charm and good looks for anyone to resist."

Steve let out a big laugh. "Oh she did, did she? Well, I think Gio might have been more of a ladies man than I ever was."

Sophie's eyes lit up mischievously. "Oh I seriously doubt that."

There was a spark of heat that flew between them before Sophie turned back towards the picture and her face grew pensive again.

"Tell me what you're thinking." Steve asked her softly.

Sophia stood in silence as if trying to convey what was on her mind. Steve saw her posture tense as she battled against whatever thoughts or emotions were threatening to come to the surface. He was determined to help her get them _out_ rather than bottling them up anymore.

"Gio was a good man, Sophie."

She shook her head in agreement as tears filled her eyes and she choked back a sob. Steve took the coffee cup out of her hand and put it down on the table along with his own before pulling her to him. As he put his arms around her, he whispered softly, "Let it out, Sophie." The grief inside her heart spilled over and she wept in Steve's embrace. He wished like hell he could take her pain away, but knew it was impossible. He had been in this place before and there was no way to make it to the other side of grief until you worked through the pain first.

Steve didn't let go of Sophia as he took out one of the dining room chairs to sit down and pull her onto his lap.

He kissed the top of her head, "It's okay, Soph….Get it out." He held her until the sobs started to subside and she eventually began to quiet down.

Her head was still on his shoulder when she whispered, "It's hard to believe that I will never see him again…..or talk to him again…..I'll even miss his corny jokes."

She felt Steve chuckle at that admission.

"Yeah, Gio did tell some pretty corny jokes."

She lifted her head up to look at him and Steve reached a finger up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "I just feel so lost without him. "

Steve offered her a sympathetic smile. "I know you do…but it will get better. I promise. You just have to give yourself some time to get through this. And I can't tell you that the pain ever goes away, but it does get _easier_."

Sophia looked at him with understanding in her eyes. "Your dad?" she asked.

"Yeah. I still miss him every day, but it's easier to deal with now."

Embarrassment crossed Sophia's beautiful features as she realized she was still sitting on Steve's lap. She made a move to get up, but Steve held her close. "You're okay, Soph. No need to get up yet."

She smiled shyly at him and relaxed again.

"Sometimes when I'm missing my dad a lot, I try to think of a good memory I have of him. It helps me to focus on the good times rather than thinking about him being gone. So, tell me one of your favorite memories of Gio."

The smile that lit up Sophia's face stirred something inside of him. He could look at her beautiful smile all day.

"Once when I was in 2nd grade and Giovanni was in the 6th grade, he found out about a boy who was picking on me. I complained about him several times, but the teachers would never do more than scold him. Well, one day after school, Gio found me crying about it and made me tell him what was wrong. He snuck out of his lunch break the next day while my class was having recess." Sophia let out a small laugh as she recalled what happened, "He came onto the playground, knocked the kid to the ground and told him to leave me alone or he would get more. The boy was scared to death and never so much as looked at me for the rest of the year." She giggled at the memory and Steve smiled too.

"What happened to Gio after that?" Steve asked.

"Well, he was sent to the principal's office, of course….and they called momma. She showed up at the school and basically read them the riot act. She told them Gio wouldn't have taken matters into his own hands if they were doing their job."

They both laughed out loud at that. "I can just imagine Momma Rosa doing that." Steve agreed.

Sophia's face softened. "He was the best big brother I could've ever asked for. Sometimes he was a little too _protective_, but he was still great."

"Big brothers are supposed to be protective." Steve remarked defensively. "I was very proud of the fact that I had most of the guys Mary went to school with afraid to even _look at her_ the wrong way." Steve's eyes twinkled with humor.

"Yeah, I'll bet Mary and I could share our own kind of war stories together." Sophia quipped.

They sat in companionable silence for a couple more minutes before a yawn escaped her. She was clearly exhausted. Steve released an arm from around her to rub up and down her back. "How about if I show you to the guestroom and you can get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"I hate to keep you from your work…..and I don't want to impose on you. If you can take me back to get my car, I'll just go home."

Steve wouldn't hear it. "First of all, you aren't imposing. I invited you here…..so you're staying. And I'm not leaving you alone either. My team will call if they need me. "

She tried to stifle another yawn before giving in. "I guess I do need to rest a little. I haven't slept much lately."

They made their way into the living room where Steve picked up her bag before motioning towards the stairs. "After you…"

"Always the gentleman", Sophia mused. Little did she know Steve couldn't keep his eyes off the luscious curves of her body as he followed her up the stairs. Otherwise, she may have changed her mind about him being a gentleman. He couldn't seem to help himself from watching the soft sway of her hips as she walked. Or the way her long brown hair fell down her back in soft waves. Or how the shorts she was wearing showed off her toned legs.

After showing her where she could rest, Steve made his way back downstairs to distract himself from the thoughts of Sophia sleeping so close by. He checked in with Danny and then Rosa before working on some things he needed to do around the house but never had time to get done. Having time to kill at home was a rare thing, so he took advantage of it and got busy.

He did make his way upstairs once to check on her and found her sleeping peacefully. No doubt about it, Sophia Manetti had grown into a beautiful woman. Steve watched the slow fall and rise of her breathing and was momentarily spellbound by how her long lashes rested softly on her cheeks. His eyes wandered down the soft lines of her face until reaching her full lips. What would it be like to kiss her, Steve wondered to himself? When Sophia was sitting on his lap earlier, it had taken all the strength he had not to lean over and take her lips into his. The only thing that had stopped him was not wanting to take advantage of her fragile emotional state. Plus, it was somewhat unnerving just how _much_ he was drawn to her. He hadn't expected the strong attraction, but he needed to keep his wits about him right now. If and when the time ever came when he _could_ kiss her, he wanted it to feel right. He was going to have to watch himself carefully or things could get complicated.

Sophia woke several hours later and made her way downstairs. Steve was in his office and looked up from his laptop as she walked into the room.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you. But you shouldn't have let me sleep so long."

"You needed it." Steve said matter-of-factly. Thinking that a change of scenery might be good for her, Steve suggested going for a ride. The eventually ended up at Kamekona's for some shrimp on the beach.

Being out in the late afternoon sunshine did wonders for Sophia's mood. She felt better than she had in weeks. Of course, her change in mood could also have something to do with the fact that she was with Steve McGarrett. Though she had never admitted it to anyone, Sophia always had a crush on the handsome SEAL who had been one of her brother's best friends. When Steve and Gio were in the Navy together, though, she had been considered too young….and probably too immature for them. Steve had treated her much like her brother did; like a little sister. He was always polite, but never seemed to be interested in her in any other way.

However, being around him again after all these years was reawakening the attraction she felt for him. Steve was certainly aging well and as hard as it was to believe, he was even sexier now than he been several years ago. As she watched him talking casually with Kamekona, Sophia couldn't help but wonder _what if? _


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally…another chapter and I've already started the next one, so it will be posted soon too. I love reading what you think about this story, so please keep the reviews coming. Also, please overlook any mistakes; Especially with the Italian. Enjoy!**

*****************h50**********h50***************h50**

Steve and Sophia eventually left Kamekona's shrimp stand to go for a walk on the beach. Kamekona watched them leave with interest. He had rarely known McGarrett to blow off a day of work to spend with someone else, so this young lady must be important. From what Steve had shared, she was the younger sister of one of Steve's former SEAL buddies who had recently died. Watching them together as they ate lunch, though, Kame couldn't help but wonder if something else was amiss. He was no expert, but he was pretty adept at reading people; Those two definitely had chemistry and what he was reading between Steve &amp; Sophia told him he might be seeing a lot more of the pretty Italian in the future.

The couple walked a few minutes in silence before finding a place to sit in the sand. After watching the relaxing sway of the waves rolling in, Sophia looked at Steve's handsome profile and felt guilty. As much as she had enjoyed spending time with Steve again, she knew she was keeping him from work.

"I feel like I need to apologize to you."

"Apologize for what?"

"I know you must have much more important things to do than babysit me."

Steve looked at her with obvious admiration in his eyes. "I wouldn't call it babysitting. And you haven't heard me complaining, have you?" he winked at her making her blush.

"No, but…..I feel guilty for how this has happened. I mean, finding me the way you did this morning…..and then taking me back to your house so I could sleep before bringing me here for lunch…..I've totally ruined whatever plans you may have had, and I'm sorry about that."

Steve turned towards and took one of her hands in his own, "Listen, It's okay. I told you, my team will call me if anything urgent comes up."

"I think you're just being kind. In all the years I've known you, when did you ever sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time? Seriously."

Steve chuckled a little at that, "You have a point. But it's been a really long time since I took a day off, so this has been nice for me too. Truly. It's been great to see you again, Soph."

The two spent a while longer on the beach before Steve got a call from Danny on something that had come up. He wanted to drop Sophia off at his house so she could wait for him to come back, but she insisted that he had done more than enough for her. She was fine, she said. She wanted to go back to her apartment to do a few things before going back in to work herself the next day. Steve had reluctantly agreed with her, but only after she promised to keep in touch and call him if she needed anything.

**************h50***************h50************h50

The next couple of weeks went by fairly quickly. As promised, Steve kept tabs on Sophia by checking in with her every day to make sure she was okay. They even met twice for lunch or dinner although neither of them would call the meetings "dates". They were just two friends getting together and sharing good memories of a friend/brother who was now gone. Sophia found that she was drawing strength from Steve in ways she wouldn't have anticipated before. It helped to have someone to talk to who had known Gio and loved him like she had. In many ways, they had _both _lost a brother.

Steve had promised to be there for her no matter what time of day or night, and he had proven himself trustworthy on that note. In addition to checking in on her daily, Sophia had called him two other times over the next couple of weeks when she had felt herself needing to talk; One such call was during the workday when something had reminded her of Giovanni and sent her into an emotional tailspin. She called Steve on his cell phone and he had answered immediately. The other time had been in the middle of the night. She had dreamed about Gio and woke up feeling so overwhelmed with grief, the only thing she could think of was calling Steve. Both times, his voice on the other line had been able to comfort her and make her feel sane again. Not only was Steve becoming an invaluable friend and sounding-board, but Sophia was also finding it harder and harder to fight the attraction she had for him.

*****************h50***************h50***************h50

Steve looked up from his desk as he heard someone open his door to find Danny standing there with Rosa.

"Look who I found downstairs." Danny said cheerfully.

"Momma Rosa! What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Concern etched Steve's face as he stood up to go to her with a hug. Rosa smiled at him as she put a hand on his cheek to pat it gently.

"No worries, _bambino_. I wanted to surprise you but the guards downstairs wouldn't let me up without 'announcing' that I was here." She looked somewhat irritated as she recalled how her surprise had been ruined, "Thank goodness Detective Williams came in when he did so I could still sneak up."

Steve smiled at her apologetically, "Sorry, Rosa. It's just for security reasons. You understand, right?"

Rosa shook her head in understanding, "Of course I do. They need to keep you all safe and I am glad for that."

Steve looked at the box in her hand. "What's this?" he asked curiously.

Rosa handed him the box which he opened eagerly. "Oh man! Your homemade cannoli?" He took one out and took a big bite as his eyes closed in ecstasy.

He looked over at Danny, his mouth still full of the delicious sweet treat, "Momma Rosa makes the best cannoli on the planet. Seriously. This stuff is legendary. She would send Gio and I boxes of it when we were enlisted and we would have to hide it from the other guys."

Rosa beamed at him before looking over at Danny, "I think Stevie may be exaggerating a little," she chuckled.

"I like cannoli. Wanna share a piece, buddy?" Danny looked at him greedily.

At first Steve considered keeping it all to himself, but after seeing the stern look he was getting from Momma Rosa, he reluctantly handed the box to Danny so he could sample for himself.

"There is another reason I came by today." Rosa looked at Steve pointedly. Sensing that she may need to talk to Steve privately, Danny turned to excuse himself. "The box stays in here, Danno!" Steve demanded as he held out his hand expectantly. Rosa chuckled as she settle onto the couch and Danny reluctantly handed the box of cannoli back to Steve before walking out.

"What's on your mind, Rosa?" Steve inquired.

"It has taken some time, but I finally started cleaning out Giovanni's apartment," she began. "I just couldn't bring myself to go in there before, but I knew it had to be done."

"You should have called me. I would have helped you."

She reached over to pat him on the leg. "No…no…..You are doing enough, sweetheart. You have been there for my Sophia and I will be forever grateful. I have a couple of friends who are helping me with Gio's things. We're just taking it slow and doing it as we can."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a small letter sized envelope. "I was going through some of his papers yesterday and found this." She handed Steve the envelope with his name written in Gio's handwriting.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. It's sealed, so it must be something he wanted you to have. I wanted to bring it to you personally."

Steve didn't know what to think. When had Gio written this? And why hadn't he given it to him before?

After visiting with Rosa a few minutes more and promising to go to her house for dinner within the next couple of weeks, she said goodbye. Steve sat down at his desk to open the note from Gio.

_Hey Steel….._

Steve immediately had to swallow the lump in his throat at the name his SEAL buddies had called him. All of them had nicknames. Gio's had been "Stallion" as in "Italian Stallion". And Steve's had been "Steel"….as in 'Man of Steel' aka Superman. The guys had said nothing could stop Steve from getting something he wanted…. Probably not even kryptonite….Hence the name "Steel". Steve closed his eyes and gathered the courage to read on.

_If you're reading this letter, something has undoubtedly happened and I am no longer with you. I never expected to be trapped in this dark hole and I am finding it harder every day to fight my way out. I have fought like hell to escape, but I can't get away from the nightmares anymore. They have robbed me of my desire to live and I am tired of fighting the demons that are always in my mind. _

_You have been such a great friend, comrade, and brother-in-arms. The good memories we share have helped to keep me stay afloat this long. I just don't think I can do it much longer. You have been a true __**fratello**__…..Maybe not by blood, but definitely in life. I am forever grateful for your friendship and brotherhood. _

_I want you to know that I never meant to hurt anyone. Especially not you…..or Momma….or Sophia. I am so sorry that I am bringing this pain into your lives. _

_I__ worry about Sophie the most. She is strong, Steve, but it hurts me to know what this will do to her. Promise me that you will **be there** for her. She will need your strength to get through this and I am trusting you to look after her once I'm gone. _

_I will also let you in on a secret that Sophia will probably hate me for sharing. BUT, since I am her pesky big brother, I guess it's only appropriate that I do one last thing to get under her skin. I don't know if you've known this or not, but Sophia has always had a 'thing' for you. Yes, as much as I hated to admit it, she thought Steve McGarrett hung the moon. She may have looked up to __**me**__….but I didn't hold a candle to __**you**__ in her eyes. Shocking, I know._

Steve chuckled in spite of himself even as he fought to keep the tears from his eyes. He continued reading.

_I'm also not **blind, **brother. I can see that my baby sister has turned into a beautiful woman. I can't tell you how many nights I've lost sleep over that fact. She's beautiful….and smart…..and as you know, she also has an incredibly big heart and capacity to love. She's going to make some man very lucky one day; That is as long as they can put up with the Italian temper that comes out sometimes too. (smile)_

Steve stopped and smiled again. Yes, Sophia did have an 'italian temper', but he actually thought it made her quite sexy…and endlessly tempting.

_I won't be there to do background checks and everything else that needs to be done on him, so I want you to look after her and make sure the one who wins her is worthy of her love. _

_And if that man ends up being __**you,**__ I want you to know...you have my blessing. I'm throwing that in here 'just in case'….. I don't know why, but I have a feeling about things where you two are concerned. _

_Thank you for being such a great friend.  
I will always love you, brother.  
Giovanni _

Steve re-read that last paragraph over again. Where had that come from? Him and Sophia? Yes, the thought had definitely crossed his mind. Countless times over the last several weeks, in fact, but he had never let his mind wander too far. Seeing Gio's words on paper seemed to "free" him a little to explore things with Sophia if things kept going forward.

He read through the letter once more. Danny opened the door just as Steve was finishing the letter again and saw him wipe a tear from his eyes.

"Everything okay, buddy?" he asked as he walked towards Steve's desk.

Steve held the letter out to him, "Momma Rosa found this letter in Gio's things. Apparently he wrote it before he died."

Danny read through the letter and let out a low whistle, "Wow. Pretty heavy stuff. Are you okay?"

Honestly, Steve wasn't sure, and he told Danny so.

"Is something going on with you and Sophia?" Danny asked.

"No. We're just friends." Steve answered but Danny wasn't convinced and it showed on his face.

"What?" Steve asked.

"All I'm saying is that I've _seen _you two together. I think it's great…..really…..that you've been there for her. But you can't deny there might be something _else_ going on between you. Am I wrong?"

Steve hated to admit it to Danny's face, but he couldn't deny it. "Yeah..._Maybe_." Steve sighed. "I don't know...I definitely feel something for her, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

Danny smiled happily at him, "Okay. So let me know when you wanna do a double date, okay?" he teased. "You know Amber is Italian too, so I think they'd get along great."

Steve ignored his comment as he walked out to get back to the case they were currently working on.

*************h50***************h50**************h50

***FYI: "Fratello" means "Brother" in Italian. Please review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter. The next one is coming soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

Five-0 wrapped up another case and got it on the books. Steve always felt a sense of accomplishment when a day like this one was over and they had found vindication for the victims. It was late in the day, but at least they were headed home. He was looking forward to a day off tomorrow. He tried to call Sophia on his way home, but she didn't answer. He tried again with no luck. That concerned him since he'd never had trouble reaching her before.

Deciding not to worry about it too much, he continued home where he got a quick shower before trying her again. Still no answer. He couldn't settle the uneasy feeling in his gut that something was wrong. How was he going to find her if she wouldn't answer her phone? It wasn't like he could call Momma Rosa to see where she might be; That would only worry Rosa and he wasn't about to do that. No, he would just have to rely on his own devices.

Steve decided to try her apartment to see if she was there and just not answering her phone. No such luck. He was on the verge of going back into the office to put a trace on her phone when his phone rang. He grabbed it quickly hoping it was Sophia. "McGarrett…" he clipped out his usual greeting.

"Commander McGarrett?" came the female voice on the other line. It wasn't Sophia and there was a lot of background noise….music and voices…..It was hard to hear the one calling him. Steve tried not to feel frustrated that it wasn't Sophia on the line, but he was losing the battle quickly. He was also losing his patience.

"Yes, this is Commander McGarrett. Who is this?"

"This is Audrey. I'm a friend of Sophia's. I found your number on her cell phone."

Steve felt fear rising in his stomach.

"Is she okay? Where is she?"

"That's why I'm calling you….and I know Sophie will probably kill me for this later…..Not 'probably'…She _will_ actually kill me…but I'll just have to deal with that because we didn't know who else to call." The woman was rambling.

"Calm down and tell me what happened," Steve tried to slow her down so she could start making sense.

"Today is Sophie's birthday, so the girls and I decided to take her to one of our favorite places to celebrate. We figured it would be a good idea to try to distract her from…..you know….."

Her birthday? How had he not known or remembered that? Probably because he'd never _needed_to remember, he rationalized.

That had always been Gio's job.

This was her first birthday without her brother.

Damn, this was going to be a hard one.

"You wanted to distract her from it being the first birthday without Gio." Steve concluded.

"Right. Only we didn't realize she would get so out of control." Audrey sounded apologetic.

"What do you mean by 'out of control'?"

Audrey took a deep breath on the other line, "I've never seen her like this. She's drinking way more than she normally does and flirting with some of the guys who are here. I mean, it's not unlike Sophia to have fun and _flirt_ a little…..but not like this. She's acting like a totally different person and just throwing herself at them tonight. And she won't go home. We can't get her to leave, but we don't want to leave her alone here either."

_Throwing herself at them?_Steve swallowed a curse before it found its way out of his mouth. If she was throwing herself at anyone, it was going to be_him,_ dammit. As much as it surprised him to admit that fact, it was true.

"Tell me where you are and I'll be right there."

After relaying the information to him, Steve told Audrey that they needed to stay put and not to leave Sophia alone for a minute. He would be there in ten minutes.

*************h50************h50***************h50

It was a very long ten minutes, but Steve finally made his way to the bar where the women were hanging out. It was one he was very familiar with since it was quite popular with Navy personnel stationed on the island. It's probably why they had picked this spot: Women _did_ seem to love a man in uniform, Steve mused. He and Gio had thrown back quite a few beers here over the years themselves. It was also probably familiar to Sophia because it made her feel closer to Gio right now. Steve understood that, but he still didn't like it.

It didn't take him long to find Sophia and her friends in the crowd. Even in regular "day clothes", her beauty stood out, but the way she was dressed tonight made it even harder to ignore her. She and her three friends sat at the bar surrounded by four guys who were obviously "Navy" and practically drooling over them. Steve's irritation level quickly shot up to dangerous levels. The guys barely looked old enough to be out of training. _Probably on their first shore leave_, he thought. They no doubt thought they'd hit the jackpot by running into Sophia, Audrey, and their other two friends. Steve couldn't help the protective urge that came to the surface as he continued to make his way over to them.

Sophia's back was turned, so she didn't see Steve approaching as he took in the sight of her. Audrey noticed him, though, and looked noticeably relieved to see him there. Sophia was wearing a black sequined halter dress exhibiting her amazing bare back all the way down to her delectable ass...Although the word "dress" was generous given the small amount of fabric it contained. Even from behind, Steve could tell it was too short and hugging her curves seductively. Her long beautiful hair hung down her back in soft waves. It took all the strength Steve had not to just stand and stare for a while.

Sophia threw her head back in a laugh at something one of the nimwits said. _Probably wasn't even funny,_Steve thought irritably. One of the men noticed Steve approaching them with determination and stood up to move closer to Sophia as if trying to stake a claim on her himself. Steve gave him a warning glare that basically said, _Don't mess with me, boy._ Sophia didn't notice Steve until she heard his commanding voice behind her as he addressed the men around her. He put his hand on her arm possessively, "She's with me…Actually they are _**all**_ with me… so you gentlemen need to move along."

Sophia turned to face him with the familiar look of "Italian temper" written on her face. Steve's mouth went dry for a second…or maybe ten….as his eyes traveled down the front of her. If he'd thought that dress was dangerous from behind, it was nothing compared to what he saw when she turned around. The deep plunge in the front practically put her chest on display and the skirt was short enough to show off too much of her gorgeous legs. She was wearing black stilettos that made him wonder how she could walk, although they were sexy as hell on her. She was wearing red lipstick that tempted him to lean down right then and there to kiss her.

**Damn**, but she was _gorgeous_.

_No wonder these guys were drooling,_ he thought to himself. Gio would have a friggin' fit if he'd ever seen her like this. Steve, on the other hand, was very _happy_ to see her like this…..just not in this setting. And definitely not with four young sailors who had obviously been at sea for a while staring at her and her friends like they were pieces of meat.

Sophia's annoyed voice brought him back to reality, "Who do you think you are?" she spat. Steve was unyielding as he looked down into her big brown eyes with lashes long enough to be lethal and were definitely glassy from too much alcohol.

"Yeah, who do you think you are, asshole?" The largest of the "boys"….the one who was trying to stake his claim on her…. stepped up to challenge him. Steve never let go of Sophia's arm as he leveled a gaze at him

"That's Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett to _**you**_, sailor. Now who are _you_?"

All four men obviously flinched and stood up a little straighter. All of the bravado was gone as the young man answered Steve nervously, "Ensign Matthew Stallings, sir."

"Well, like I said, _Ensign Stallings_….. _They_ are with _me_. Now are you four going to move along, or are we going to have a problem?"

"Now jus a minute!" Sophia slurred as she tried to stand up.

Steve held her firmly in place gave her a look that had most men shaking in their shoes. It worked on Sophia too. Even though she still looked furious, she clamped her mouth shut as Steve turned back to glare at the four young men.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Steve repeated.

"No, sir. No problem, sir." they all answered….almost in unison.

Sophia rolled her eyes in frustration, "Oh for heviz sake, drop the caveman act, wulz you?" she slurred again.

Steve looked at her pointedly even though there was compassion in his eyes, "Now is not the time to argue with me, Sophia. _**Let's go.**_"

Sophia slid off the stool she'd been sitting on and wobbled. Steve held her steady as he looked over at Audrey. "Thanks for calling me. I've got her now. You all need to come with me, too, and I will get you home."

Audrey offered him an appreciative gaze, "It's okay, Commander. We'll get home okay. Please just take care of Sophie."

Steve shook his head even as his arm stayed around Sophie to steady her. He shot a glance at the men/boys standing with them at the bar before looking back towards Sophia's friends.

"Actually, you all need to come with me," Steve insisted. "OR I will call cabs for you…Either way, you all need to leave and call it a night. Understand?"

Audrey's eyes glazed over just a bit as she looked at him. My gosh, Sophie had lucked out in the Alpha-Male-Department, she thought to herself. This guy was like a dream.

"Okay, Commander….We'll call for cabs. I promise." she said.

"Do it _**now**_." Steve insisted.

Chrissie….another friend of Sophie's stepped forward in front of the young sailor trying to stake claim on her. "Seriously?"

Steve leveled his gaze at her and she could see clearly he would not waiver. "Yes…..**Seriously**," he answered. "Either call for cabs while I am here or I'm taking all of you home. End of discussion."

Chrissie turned towards Sophia, "You weren't kidding, sistah. These Navy guys can be real hard asses!"

Steve stifled the laugh that threatened to escape as he thought about Gio…..and how the two of them would've handled these guys trying to take advantage of Sophia and her friends so easily. _Damn straight_, he thought to himself. _Not to worry, Gio. I've got 'em._

Audrey…the one who had called him in the first place…..looked towards him and offered him a sincere "thank you.

Then, they called for a cab. Once Steve was satisfied they would all be seen home safely, he led Sophia out of the bar towards his truck.

******************h50*************h50************h50

Sophia offered some protests on the way, but Steve ignored her. Upon opening the door, he realized she wasn't going to be able to step into the truck without flashing everyone in sight in the short dress she was wearing, so he picked her up and sat her down on the seat himself. Then, he reached the seatbelt around to buckle her in.

"I'm not a shild….." she slurred at him again.

Steve just offered her a small smile, "No, babe, you are most definitely _**not**_ a child. But I don't think you're dressed for getting up into a truck tonight either." She looked slightly embarrassed as Steve made his way to his side of the truck and slid into the driver's seat. "And I swear to God…" he continued, "If you don't cooperate with me, I will put you over my knee and paddle your ass as soon as I get you home."

Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat as he buckled her in and then sat in silence for a few minutes before she noticed they were not headed in the direction of her apartment.

"Where r'we goin'?" she asked.

"I'm taking you back to my place. And don't even think of arguing with me. I'm not leaving you alone tonight. Got it?"

Sophia knew better than to argue….especially after the threat he'd just given her….so they rode in silence the rest of the way to Steve's house.

Steve got her inside and realized she didn't have anything else to wear. Leaving her in that dress and heels was way too tempting. Before he could talk to her, he needed to get her covered up. Otherwise, he might lose all control.

After all, a man could only take so much temptation.

He went upstairs and found a t-shirt and shorts that belonged to Mary. Sophia was curvier than his sister, but he hoped they would work. He handed them to Sophia as she kicked off her shoes to walk upstairs and change.

When she returned a few minutes later, Steve had coffee waiting for her. He motioned for her to join him on the couch. She took a grateful sip of the coffee before her face grew pensive.

"Today….. It's…..Ummm…..It's my birthday." She was starting to sound a little more lucid.

Steve reached over to take her hand. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't remember that, sweetie."

A tear escaped to roll down her cheek and she reached her other hand up to wipe it away. "It's okay. I mean, how would you know? But…"she stopped for a minute.

"But what?"

"Well…._**Gio**_ remembered."

Steve was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He _remembered, __Steve__._ He always sent me flowers on my birthday. Even when you guys were gone on your 'super secret SEAL missions', he somehow always arranged for me to get flowers on my birthday. He did it for Momma too." She paused to stop the emotion from spilling over, "I got home from work today and found flowers waiting for me at the door. He must've arranged it before….."

She didn't finish.

Steve squeezed her hand in silent support. _Son of a gun_, n_o wonder she'd gone off the deep end_. It was sweet of Gio to arrange for her to get her 'birthday flowers' before he died, but it must've been like a "voice from the grave" when Sophia saw who they were from.

Sophia finished the story. "The card said, 'Happy birthday, Soph. Never forget how much your big brother loves you.' "

Steve moved closer so he could pull her too him, "Dammit, Sophie.… I'm so sorry, honey. I can understand why that upset you."

Sophia sniffed against his shoulder. "I can't decide whether it was an incredibly _thoughtful_ thing…..or downright _**mean**_. And I don't know whether to be grateful for one last gift from him…..or _pissed off _that he did it knowing he would be gone when…"

Her voice trailed off again.

"Shhhh," Steve soothed. He could hear her pain. If Gio were here again, he'd probably kick his ass for putting her through this.

Deciding that she needed a diversion, Steve decided to change the subject. "How about if we celebrate together tomorrow? I'll take you _anywhere_you want to go. We'll make a day of it."

"You don't need to do that."

"I know I don't, but I _want_ to. I have tomorrow off anyway, so let's spend it together."

She looked over and offered him a grateful smile. "That would be nice. Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Recap…..**

"_How about if we celebrate together tomorrow? I'll take you anywhere you want to go. We'll make a day of it."_

"_You don't need to do that."_

"_I know I don't, but I want to. I have tomorrow off anyway, so let's spend it together."_

_She looked over and offered him a grateful smile. "That would be nice. Thank you."_

*******h50**********h50****************h50

Steve realized he was staring at her. He couldn't seem to help himself. She may've been wearing a pair of Mary's running shorts and a worn out t-shirt, but she still looked absolutely beautiful. Steve wasn't one to give in to emotion, but in this moment, he was captivated by how beautiful she was and couldn't tear his gaze away. What was it about her that made him feel like a schoolboy with his first crush? It was ridiculous how she had gotten under his skin. He wanted to be her friend….but he also wanted to be her protector and her lover. For the first time in a very long time, Steve wanted to risk his heart to see where things could go with a woman.

It was getting harder every day to fight what he was feeling towards Sophia Manetti.

_Get a grip_,_ McGarrett_, he scolded himself.

Okay….Not working.

The truth was he felt a chemistry with Sophia unlike anything he had experienced before. It was strong….and it was pulling him under like a riptide.

Sophia wasn't fairing any better. Yes, she'd always had a crush on Steve McGarrett, but what she felt now was so much stronger than a "crush". Since he had come back into her life several weeks ago, something had shifted. She felt connected to him, drawn to him, and she was finding it harder to fight it with every day that passed.

When Sophia first met Steve twenty years earlier, she had been fourteen years old and he and Giovanni had just started the Naval Academy. Then, they went through BUD's training together and ended up on the same SEAL team. Once active, their missions were often times "classified", so any news from Gio during those years had been sporadic at best. Sophia always cherished the conversations with her brother because it meant he and Steve were both alive.

Even though Steve was part of their extended family, Sophia had never lost the butterflies in her stomach every time she'd seen him over the years. Like a fine Italian wine, he had only gotten better with age. Sophia could barely contain the attraction she felt for him every time he was near. Steve McGarrett may've been gorgeous at seventeen, but that was nowhere comparable to the man he had become.

Sophia held his gaze and Steve saw her eyes darken with a longing that mirrored his own. She licked her bottom lip unconsciously and he found that he simply couldn't hold back anymore. She was already in his arms.

He let out a sigh, "Damn, Sophie."

"What is it?" She asked

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he answered.

The only response she gave him was a seductive little smile before moving to straddle him as they sat on the couch. Not that Steve was complaining, and he'd be damned if he would stop her. She wiggled against his lap playfully and was pleased to find out Steve was just as turned on as she. It was a push over the edge for Steve and he found it impossible to fight anymore. He gave in to the temptation he'd been fighting for weeks and leaned down to taste her.

Finally.

Steve was more than a little pleased when he heard her intake of breath as their lips met. When she let out a moan of pleasure, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip as if asking for permission to come in. To his pleasure, she opened her mouth so they could deepen their kiss. Sophia tasted even sweeter than Steve had imagined. Like honey…Except she was the sweetest kind of honey he had ever tasted. His lips moved from her mouth, to her cheek, and made their way to the soft spot on her neck right below her ear. He heard her sigh and felt the goosebumps on her arm when he lingered there a moment.

_Hmmmm, she likes that spot_. Smiling to himself, he filed that little bit of knowledge away for later.

Sophia moaned again in response as Steve continued to linger over the erogenous zone on her neck that drove her crazy. Her nipples peaked in response as she felt the stubble on his chin moving softly across her neck. Sophia's hands moved to cup his face and lead his mouth back to hers. She needed to taste _him_ again. His tongue entered her mouth and mimicked the in and out movement he wanted to do elsewhere and Sophia felt her body shiver as sensation and pleasure pulsed through her body. Steve moved his hands down her back softly before moving further downward to grab her perfect backside in his hands. She rocked her hips back and forth letting out a desperate moan. He could feel how much she wanted him and it was driving him crazy. It was all he could do to reign in his own desire in order to take things slowly. Steve knew he needed to slow things down. Hard and fast was great at times, but he wanted the first time with Sophia to be special.

"Slow down, sweetheart," he whispered, "I promise we'll get there."

Steve's calm demeanor masked the greed he was really feeling in wanting to have his mouth and hands everywhere at once. He'd been aching to touch her gorgeous curves for weeks. Touching her, tasting her, and making her beg for him had haunted his dreams. More than once, he had fanaticized about what it would be like to have her underneath him. Just like _kissing _her, the reality of _touching _her didn't compare to what he had imagined which was surprising considering how _much_ he had imagined in the last few weeks.

Steve and Sophia finally broke free to take a breath. His hands moved back up her body to her hips, her back, her shoulders, before finally caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. God, it was taking everything in him to restrain himself. He moved a strand of hair from her face and looked at her almost reverently, "You are so beautiful."

A blush creeped up her cheeks and she looked down, feeling shy at the intensity of his gaze. He put a finger under her chin to make her look at him again. "_So_ beautiful." he repeated without breaking eye contact.

Sophia offered him a shy smile. There was no denying the desire she saw in Steve's eyes. The electricity sparking between them was palpable. Sophia leaned forward to kiss him softly again before breaking away to look at him. She suddenly felt fearless.

"Do you want me?" she teased softly.

Steve swallowed. He could hardly believe the words had come out of her sweet mouth. He moved his hands to stroke up and down her back as he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. She was straddling his lap, so surely she could feel the answer to that question without even asking him. _Did he __**want **__her?_ As much as he wanted his next breath! But, rather than answering her question, he offered one of his own. "What do _you _want?" he asked.

She held his gaze as she reached down to pull up the borrowed t-shirt and lift it over her head exposing herself to him. "I want _you_," she answered.

Steve gazed at her almost reverently as he moved his hands to cup her breasts in his hands. She fit him perfectly. Sophia felt the warmth of his touch all the way to her center. Her eyes closed and her head went back at the exquisite feeling of his hands on her.

"Stop me now." He said breathlessly, almost as if warning her.

"Or what?" she answered.

"Or I'm going to carry you up to my bed to do all the things I've been dreaming about for weeks."

Steve heard her soft chuckle before she leaned up a little putting her perfect chest right in front of his face, "You first, Commander," she whispered teasingly, "Then it's _my_ turn."

Steve smiled at her before standing up with her legs wrapped tightly around him and moving upstairs.

He walked upstairs with Sophia in his arms before laying her down on the bed. Then, he made quick work of removing the shorts she was wearing before staring at her lying there with only black lace panties covering her.

Sophia had had lovers before, but none of them had ever looked at her the way Steve was looking at her now. It empowered her and made her feel as if the most beautiful woman on the planet. After a few moments of him staring at her, she broke the silence, "I'm at a disadvantage, you know?"

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"You have too many clothes on." Sophia answered seductively. Then she got up on her knees in front of him and started removing his clothes as well. With each inch of his body that was revealed, Sophia marveled at the sculpted muscles that made his body a work of art. His body had been honed to perfection as a veritable killing machine, but he still managed to touch her with a tenderness that took her breath away.

Once his clothes were off too, he settled a knee between her thighs to open her more to him. Then, he looked into her big brown eyes and realized he could very well be a 'goner'. He was under her spell and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Make love to me, Steve," she whispered.

Steve lowered his mouth to hers again and worked on doing just that.

***************h50***************h50**************h50

Sophia woke early the next morning feeling satiated and more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. She stretched her body out languidly before realizing Steve's arm was draped protectively across her belly. She took hold of his arm before turning in his direction to find him still sleeping.

She admired his long eyelashes, albeit somewhat grumpily. W_hy do guys always have eyelashes we women would kill for?_ She thought to herself. His face was soft and peaceful and he looked happy. Sophia felt a sense of pride knowing she had helped place the small smile that was still on his lips as he slept. They had had a wonderful night. What had started out as one of the most heartbreaking birthdays of her life had turned around when Steve had found her in the bar. He had single-handedly turned things around and made it one of the _best_ birthday memories she'd ever had.

Sophia reached her fingers up to gently stroke his cheek. His arm tightened around her as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said.

"Good morning." Sophia answered.

Steve turned in her direction so they were facing each other without ever letting go of her. He pulled her closer for a kiss. After a few moments of snuggling and reveling in the feel of her in his arms, he asked, "So what do you want to do today?"

Sophia hesitated for a moment, "Don't feel like you have to spend the day with me. I know you don't get much time off, so if you have things to do, it's okay. You turned yesterday into one of the best birthdays of my life, so I'm in a much better place today. I can just go home."

Steve shook his head, "Uh-uh. I promised you some fun today, so that's what we're going to do. Besides, I can't think of any better way to spend my day off than with you." His smile was soft, but the twinkle in his eyes told her what activities he may be thinking of indulging in.

Sophia felt a blush creep up her cheeks thinking about the night before. She still wanted to pinch herself to convince her that she hadn't dreamt it all.

She smiled back at him, "How about this? Why don't I make you breakfast…..and we'll go from there?"

Steve looked at her appreciatively, "Okay, sounds good. But why don't we take a shower first….and then we'll make breakfast _together._"

For the first time in a long time, Steve was looking forward to having no plans and just seeing how the day unfolded before him.


	6. Chapter 6

**I've had major writers block with Steve &amp; Sophia, but think I may finally have dome ideas where their story can go. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! **

**Thanks to all of you who have commented and asked me to continue. I hope you like where we're going with this one! **

**†***********h50****************h50**********************h50

After a long, 'eventful' shower together, Sophia was convinced she would never be able to shower again without thinking about Steve. In fact, there were quite a few things she would never be able to do again without thinking of Steve. The man had an extremely talented tongue and very talented fingers, and hands, and….well everything else too.

He was just….talented.

She was pretty certain she would have a permanent grin on her face from now on.

Breakfast was next followed by a surprise from Steve. He remembered that Sophia used to like riding horses. He had a friend who owned horses, so they borrowed a couple for the afternoon and went on a long ride including a picnic lunch at a waterfall that his friend's wife had provided for them. It was a wonderful afternoon and Sophie felt completely content by the time they returned the horses to the barn.

They said their goodbyes before Steve drove Sophia to a secluded beach. Sophie looked at him questioningly.

"This is one of my favorite places on the island," he answered her unspoken question. "I brought a bottle of wine and thought maybe we could end the day by watching the sunset together."

A smile slowly crossed Sophia's mouth as she stared at him.

"What?" Steve asked innocently.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking…Who knew Steve McGarrett had a romantic side?"

Steve actually blushed which warmed Sophie head to toe…..and all her parts in between.

He tried to shrug it off even though he was smiling too, "Yeah, well….I'm full of surprises."

"Yes, you certainly are, Commander."

Steve put the truck into park and helped Sophia out before grabbing the cooler and a blanket he'd brought along.

Steve settled in the sand and worked on opening the wine while Sophia sat between his legs with her back resting against his chest. She took the glass Steve offered her and took a sip before leaning back against his shoulder as they watched the sun setting over the ocean. It had been a perfect day. Steve ran his fingers up and down her arms and smiled when he felt goose bumps raise on her skin. He was happy to have that affect on her since she did the same to him with merely a look or a smile.

"So I remember that you use to love photography. Whenever you sent picture to Gio, he'd show them around to all of us. You did fantastic work and he was really proud of you.," Sophie tipped her head to look up at Steve. He smiled softly at her but she remained quiet.

"Do you still do it?" he asked curiously.

"What?"

"Take pictures." Steve answered.

She shook her head negatively.

"Why not?"

He felt her exhale a slow breath before speaking very softly, " I loved it. Actually took a few classes in college and had a couple of showings of some of my work that went pretty well."

"But…." Steve urged her to continue.

She shrugged against him, "I don't know. Life got in the way, I guess. Photography isn't exactly a practical or lucrative way to make a living."

Her voice sounded sad. Distant. Steve found his heart ache for her.

"Well, I guess that depends on how good you are." Steve said matter of factly. "And you….." he turned her to look at him….. "_You_are really good. I'd bet others would think the same thing too if you decided to try it again."

"Maybe." she said skeptically.

"So maybe its time to try a _new_ career." Steve said.

"You make it sound so easy."

"It _can_ be that easy, Soph. You need a change…..Maybe this is the time to go for it."

"Why do you think I need a change?" she sounded a little defensive as she pouted at him.

She looked adorable and Steve couldn't resist leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"I know this may not make sense to you, but doing something you love is so much more important than staying at a job you don't like. Trust me on this. When you find your passion…some may even say it's a 'calling'….and can make a living at it, it makes all the difference."

Sophia scoffed. "Are you _seriously_ trying to tell me that being a SEAL was your 'calling'? That you love the 'shoot 'em up and ask questions later' life that _you_ lived when you were in? And what about now? Do you 'love' what you do now? " She asked sarcastically.

Steve would have called her on the sass had he not heard the pain in her voice too. He had never doubted his dedication or love for the job, but he knew it wasn't for every one. A couple of his SEAL brothers, including Gio, had eventually given up under the weight of the memories they carried around. No doubt Sophia was thinking about Gio as she said it.

He took a deep breath before letting it out, "Actually it was…..and is….. a 'calling' for me….Or at least that's what I believe. Not everyone can do this job, but I'm good at it….and it gives me purpose. "

She looked at him skeptically.

"Listen…..There are a lot of men and women who go into the Navy as well as the other branches of service. A lot of them may also be inspired to go through training to be a SEAL, or a Green Beret, or an Army Ranger….but only the ones who are extremely dedicated make it through. And those who _do_ make it do so because they feel a 'pull' that tells them it's their destiny, so to speak. Gio and I both felt like it was something we were born to do which is why we stuck with it. And even though it sounds crazy, I felt a sense of purpose being a SEAL. We may not have had the easiest or most desirable assignments in the world, but I knew I was doing what I was supposed to do."

"I like my job, too." she countered defensively.

Sophia heard Steve's soft chuckle and felt her temper rising.

"Don't lie to me, sweetie."

She moved out of his lap and turned towards him with fire in her eyes. "Who says I'm lying? I _do_ like my job! I work with great people and find a lot of satisfaction in what I do!"

She stood up, crossed her arms, started pacing in the sand and began uttering a string of Italian phrases Steve was fairly certain were not singing his praises.

And damn but he found it adorable. Everything she did seemed to endear her more to him…..even when she was pissed off. Steve stood and walked towards her. She glared up at him and tried her best to stay mad, but it was no use. Steve knew her as well as anyone and she knew he wasn't buying her lies. Her anger softened at the look on his face.

"Okay, so maybe that's not entirely true….." she began and Steve offered her a small smile.

"But that doesn't mean I can just quit my job and start a new career. I have responsibilities….bills to pay…..helping take care of Momma…..and other things. Photography was a hobby, nothing else."

Steve reached out to take her hand. "Okay," was all he said as he pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head.

Something told her this would not be the end of the conversation, but for now she would take it.

Steve told her briefly that his sister and niece would be flying in from L.A. the next day for a visit. Sophia felt a little nervous about meeting Steve's family, but he assured her everything would be great. After easing her fears somewhat, he packed everything up and grabbed her hand in his.

"Let's go home." Steve said. "I have some other plans for you."

She looked up at him shyly, "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Steve didn't answer. His mouth lifted into the half grin she found sexy as hell and she felt her insides turn to goo.

"Come with me and I'll show you."

*******H50***************H50********************H50

The following morning…

Sophia woke and began to stretch languidly as she reached for Steve before remembering he had left for work earlier. Before leaving, he had awakened her long enough to kiss and caress her before promising to pick up where they left off later. A smile crossed her face and she sighed contentedly as she snuggled into his pillow instead and breathed in the scent that was purely Steve. It was then she noticed a card sitting conspicuously on the dresser with her name written in Steve's script on the front. She moved off the bed and started making her way to pick up the note before noticing the rose petals on the floor. She was definitely curious now. She picked up the note and read:

_Good morning, bella._

She smiled in spite of herself at the endearment and continued to read.

_There is plenty of food in the kitchen and fresh towels outside if you want to enjoy the surf (which I would highly suggest since it's going to be a beautiful day.)_

_Make yourself at home._

_I'll be home as soon as I can._

_P.S. Follow the rose petals for a surprise on the dining room table. __J_

_Enjoy your day…._

_Steve_

Sophie's heart was racing with excitement as she finished reading and wondered what kind of surprise he'd left for her. She quickly followed the path he had left her and gasped as she saw what was on the table.

A brand new camera.

Very expensive from the looks of it.

She also noticed another note.

_A belated birthday present._

_Its time to follow your passion._

_This should help you get started._

_Have fun, babe._

_Can't wait to see what you capture._

Sophia's heart melted. It was such a thoughtful gift and totally unexpected. She felt the creativity inside of her soul start to bubble up inside as she eagerly picked the camera up to start getting accustomed to it's features. She wondered if it was already charged and ready to go. She was not surprised when she found that to be fact.

_Of course it is_, she thought. _Steve would have thought of everything._

With camera in hand, she stepped outside and it wasn't long before she was finding the beauty in her surroundings and taking shots of the landscape and sea in her view.

*************h50******************h50*******************h50

The Five-0 task force had a fairly uneventful morning which was a relief to Steve. He had hoped for a quiet day so he could get back home to Sophia as well as Mary and Joannie who were due to arrive by late afternoon.

It was nearing 3 o'clock and he found himself watching the minutes click by. Since when had time started to go by so slowly?

A "ding" on his phone indicated a new text message, so he picked it up. Danny picked that moment to walk into the office and find a smile on Steve's face.

"What's up?" Danny asked as he took the seat in front of Steve's desk.

Steve turned his phone towards Danny so he could see the picture on the screen. It was a silhouette of a little girl with golden curls surrounding her face as she looked mesmerized at a butterfly sitting on a hibiscus flower. Sophia had captured the moment perfectly: Beauty and innocence wrapped up together in a perfect shot.

"Is that Joannie?" Danny asked as he admired the picture.

"Yeah. Apparently, she and Mary got here earlier than expected and went straight to the house."

"And…..Sophie's still there?" Danny asked curiously.

"Yes. And if I know Mary, she came EARLY on purpose so she could meet Sophia without me being there." Steve shook his head but he was smiling as well. "And yes…Sophia called me earlier to thank me for the camera, so she has apparently been using it today. Thanks for helping me with it, by the way."

"No problem, buddy. I'll just add it to your tab," Danny said teasingly before looking at the picture again, "She definitely has an eye for photography. This is a beautiful picture."

"I know. Which is why I'm going to talk her into working on this some more and trying to sell some of her shots."

"Woah….You know you can't PUSH her, right? If she wants to do this….great! She's obviously talented, but you can't push her into it."

"I know that, Danny. But a little friendly encouragement never hurt. Right? I'll be subtle."

Steve offered Danny his most innocent smile and Danny knew it would be an interesting ride to see what happened. Steve didn't know the meaning of the word "subtle".


	7. Chapter 7

**FINALLY! Steve and Sophia are back! Please review and let me know what you think. THANKS! **

Steve held on to his phone and dialed Sophia's cell not caring that Danny was standing in front of his desk. Danny would hound him incessantly until he told him what was going on between him and Sophia anyway, so Steve figured he might as well let him listen.

Sophia answered on the second ring. "Did you get my picture? Isn't she adorable?"

Steve smiled, "Yes, I got it…..and yes, she's adorable. _However_, the fact that you _have_ a picture of her from my back yard means my sister showed up early."

"Well, that's no big deal. Honestly, I would have done the same thing." Sophia grew quiet for a moment and Steve wasn't sure what to say because he knew she was thinking of Gio. Thankfully, she recovered and broke the silence, "So…don't worry. We're having a great time. Mary and I are outside watching Joannie play and I am taking lots of pictures with this great camera you got for me. Oh and by the way, I'm making dinner for all of us….so if you can help it, don't be late."

"You're making dinner?" His voice showed pleasant surprise. "What are you making?"

Sophia smiled coyly into the phone. The sound of Steve's voice was making her weak in the knees but she was trying like hell not to show that to his sister.

"I'm making chicken marsala with garlic potatoes and a salad. Oh….and some homemade bread."

Danny heard what she said and felt his mouth water, "Seriously? You are the luckiest SOB alive, my friend."

Steve grinned and heard Shauni laugh since she had heard what Danny said. "Tell him to join us."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

"Yes. One thing I learned from my Momma was how to cook. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how to cook for only 2 or 3 people….which means _**I**_ didn't learn to cook that way either. I probably bought enough to cook for us tonight and have leftovers for a week." The sound of her laughter made Steve stomach do a flip flop. He loved the sound of it. "Go ahead and invite everyone else too, if you want," she continued. "We'll have enough. Besides, I love cooking for a crowd."

Steve was proud of her but couldn't help but feel a little bit of disappointment at the fact he wouldn't have the whole night alone with Sophia.

Oh well. He reasoned that he would just be sure to make up for it later.

"Okay, well we should be finished here around 5:30 and then we'll be home. Need me to pick anything up on the way?"

Danny couldn't help but smirk at the suddenly 'domestic' sound to Steve's voice. Who would have ever thought his buddy would soften to such a degree. Of course, Steve saw Danny's smirk and knew right away what he was thinking. After being partners for so long, there was very little they could hide from one another. To his credit, however, he kept his face neutral and didn't let on that he knew what Danny was thinking.

"Maybe you could pick up some wine? Or beer….Depending on what you guys want."

Authentic Italian food definitely called for wine, Steve thought. Momma Rosa would probably have his hide if they drank beer with such a meal. Steve agreed to pick something up on the way home and they said their goodbyes.

After ending the call, Steve told the rest of the team that they were all invited over for dinner. Grover had his sons football game to attend and Chin and Kono already had plans, but Danny and Jerry both said they would be happy to join them. Knowing that Danny also had Gracie and Charlie for the night as well, he knew it was going to be a full night, but also fun. He would have most of the people he loved most in the world around him and _that_ was enough to make him very happy.

****************h50******************h50********************h50**************

_6:30 p.m…McGarrett House_

Steve pulled his truck into his driveway and retrieved the bottles of wine he'd bought for the night's dinner. He also grabbed the flowers he'd bought for Sophia. He knew he was being uncharacteristically transparent by giving her flowers when several of his ohana would be there to witness it, but he felt she deserved them after volunteering to make dinner for everyone. Besides, he was hoping to see her face light up with a smile. Her smile was a thing of beauty…..just like the rest of her…..and it had been absent from her face too much since Gio had gone. Steve had made it a goal to do what he could to bring the smile back more often until the memories of Gio got easier to deal with. The pain would never go completely away, but it would get easier. He was doing what he could to help her move on.

He walked into his side door leading into the kitchen and found Sophia standing at the stove stirring something on a front burner. The house smelled of garlic, chicken, and fresh baked bread making his mouth water instantly. Hearing him come in, she turned in his direction and gave him the smile he'd been waiting all day to see. He sat the wine down on the counter before handing her the flowers.

Sophia's smile grew wider, "For me?"

Steve shrugged, "Yeah. I thought you might like them."

"Like them? I love them!" She leaned up to kiss him quickly, "Thank you."

She wasn't sure, but she thought she might have seen Steve blush just a little. She asked Steve for a vase to put them in which he got down from a cabinet and handed to her. As she started arranging the flowers into the face, Joannie ran into the kitchen arms outstretched for her uncle. "Unca Teve! Unca Teve!" He picked the little girl up and started tickling her belly making her squeal with laughter. After a couple of minutes, he kissed her cheek. "You snuck in on me!"

She giggled, "Mommy said we would turprise you!"

They had certainly done that, Steve mused. "Well, I missed you and I'm happy you are here for a visit!"

Sophia couldn't help but notice how he softened in Joannie's presence. She knew without a doubt the little girl had her uncle wrapped around her fingers. It did funny things to her heart watching them together.

"Me missed you, too!" Joannie agreed.

"Where's your mommy?"

Before Joannie could answer, Steve heard Mary's familiar voice behind him, "Right here, big brother!"

Steve pulled her in for a hug too and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"So I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow?" Steve said.

Mary couldn't resist teasing him, "Change of plans. I thought maybe I would come in early so I could meet Sophia before you had a chance to hide her away."

Steve feigned innocence, "Would I do that?"

"Yes…..you absolutely would. So being the good pesky little sister that I am, I wanted a chance to meet the woman who's had you tied up in knots recently before you had a chance."

This time Sophia was sure she saw the slight blush to Steve's cheeks as he tried frantically to think of something to change the subject. Thankfully, Joannie beat him to it and did so beautifully, "Unca Teve, Tophie took my picture today. Did you see it?"

He hugged his little niece tighter, "Yes, I did…..and may I say, you looked beautiful." He kissed the top of her head again before setting her down.

"Tophie said I yook yike a princess."

Steve couldn't help but laugh at how Joannie still didn't say her "S" or "L" sounds correctly, but it only made her that much more adorable. "Sophie was right. You _do_ look like a princess," he agreed causing her to beam at him.

They heard Danny, Grace, and Charlie come in the front door and were soon inside the kitchen as well. Sophia finally shewed them all out of the kitchen so she could finish preparing dinner. Steve insisted on staying behind, however, to help put the salad together. At least that was the excuse he used. Truthfully, he just wanted to stay close to Sophia; A fact that didn't go unnoticed by his sister.

***************h50********************h50**********************h50

Dinner was wonderful. Everyone complimented Sophia's cooking skills and Danny said it was the best chicken marsala he'd had since his Italian grandmother's. Sophia took that as a huge compliment even though she did look somewhat embarrassed at the praise. As they all continued to laugh and enjoy each others company, Steve looked around the table to the people he loved most in the world. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten so well or felt so content surrounded by his family and friends.

After everyone was finished, Sophia stood to start gathering leftovers to carry into the kitchen. Steve gently grabbed her wrist, "Where do you think you're going?"

She gave him a look as if the answer should be obvious, "Just cleaning up," she whispered.

To her surprise, he pulled her down onto his lap growing several curious glances in their direction. The small gesture combined with the flowers he had brought to her earlier were making a subtle but definite statement that she was his. In spite of herself, Sophia felt the warmth spread through her body. "Negative. The cook doesn't also do the **clean-up** in this house," he said before winking at her. She shifted a little on his lap as she felt the heat of that small gesture all the way to her core. Steve's eyes darkened suddenly as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Her heart rate picked up.

Danny put down his napkin and stood up effectively breaking the moment, "Steve's right. The cook shouldn't have to do clean-up, too." He motioned towards Jerry who also stood and the two men began gathering things to take back inside.

Steve pulled Sophia in for a quick kiss, "You and Mary stay out here with the kids. We've got this." He inconspicuously gave her ass a small squeeze before standing up and letting her have his seat. Sophia watched as he gathered dirty dishes into his hands and started talking back in towards the house.

"He really likes you, ya know."

Sophia tore her eyes away from Steve to look towards Mary, "I'm sorry….what?"

Mary was grinning like the-cat-who-stole-the-canary, so to speak. "My brother really likes you. I've honestly never seen him so taken with a girl."

Sophia turned back towards the house unconsciously looking for a glimpse of Steve through the window. "We're just….friends."

A chuckle escaped Mary at that feeble argument, "Uh-huh…..Right." Sophia turned back towards her and Mary's expression softened, "I meant what I said earlier. I've never seen him so infatuated with someone."

"Your brother is very special." Sophia answered.

"Yeah, he is," Mary agreed. "He's also been hurt. A lot. I would hate to see him get his heart broken again. Know what I mean?"

It was just the sort of statement Sophia would have made towards anyone having feelings for her brother as well. Sophia smiled at her softly even though a little sadly at the thoughts of Gio, "I think I'm really going to like you, Mary."

Then, the women turned and watched Grace playing with Charlie and Joannie for a few minutes before Sophia felt a wave of emotion threatening to break her down. She stood up quickly, "I'm just going down to the beach for a walk. Okay?"

Mary sensed her need to be alone. "Okay. Be careful."

A little while later, Steve came out drying his hands with a dishtowel. "Where's Sophie?"

"She went for a walk on the beach."

"By herself? At night? Why did you let her go alone?"

Mary let out one of the long suffering sighs she was so known for while rolling her eyes and looking up at Steve, "She's a big girl, Steve. I'm sure she can take care of herself. Besides, I had the feeling she wanted to be alone for awhile."

Steve tossed the towel onto a chair. "Okay, which way did she go?" he asked as he started making his way towards the sand.

"Going after her, huh?" Mary teased even though she pointed in the direction Steve needed to go.

Steve's only response was to look over his shoulder and smile at her. He stopped briefly to chat with the kids reminding them not to go towards the water since it was dark. Then, he set off to find Sophia.

He didn't have to go far. She was sitting on the sand with the moonlight spotlighting her beautiful silhouette and the breeze from the ocean softly blowing her hair. Steve swallowed trying to quell the feelings of possessiveness he was feeling towards her. He began walking towards her. Right before he reached her, he spoke trying not to startle her.

"Hey."

Sophia tried to wipe a tear away from her cheek before Steve saw it, but he failed. He walked closer so he could sit down behind her on the sand. "Hey…..come here," he said softly as he pulled her towards him. She scooted so she was sitting between his legs with her head leaning back onto his shoulder. She felt Steve's strong arms come around her and felt the pain in her heart ease just a little.

"What's wrong, babe?" Steve asked.

Sophia was trying so hard not to cry, but this was one of those moments her will was not strong enough to stop the tears. Steve felt her chest shaking when she finally lost the battle against her tears. He held her as she cried for a few minutes realizing that she needed to get it out before talking. He was willing to give her all the time she needed.

"I miss him so much," she choked out and Steve's heart broke listening to her pain.

He pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her head before resting his chin there, "I know you do."

"Seeing you and Mary tonight…It made me realize….."

When she didn't finish the sentence, Steve urged her on, "Made you realize what?"

Sophia took in a calming breath and tried to stop her voice from shaking. "I realized I'll never have that with Gio again. I'll never have any brother/sister teasing. I'll never see him in love or be protective of him when a woman comes into his life…." Her voice trailed off.

Two things struck Steve about her admissions. One, _was_ he in love?

The answer came to him as clearly as anything he had ever felt: Yes.

_Yes_, he was in love with Sophia and it felt as if the most natural thing in the world. The realization should have frightened him, but strangely it did not.

The second thing she brought up was something he needed to deal with right away though: Had Mary given her the third degree while they were outside and the men were in the kitchen cleaning up? The thought didn't settle well with him. Sophia had been through enough lately without having his sister add to the stress.

Sophia felt Steve tense behind her. "Did Mary grill you tonight? Because if she did, I swear to God…"

Sophia sat up and turned towards him a little while still staying in the safety of his lap. She put a hand on his chest, "Shhh…..No, she didn't 'grill me'. She was just doing what sisters do. She loves you very much and doesn't want to see you get hurt. I would have done the same thing for Gio."

Her eyes started to well up again but this time, she kept them at bay. Steve's eyes softened and he moved his hands to cup her face. He knew he couldn't take the pain away, but he hoped to ease it a little. He leaned down to give her a kiss that she felt all the way to her soul.

This was what Sophia needed; She needed to feel Steve's strength and his confidence…..and dare she say it…..his love? She could no longer deny that she was in love with _him_. She may not be able to admit it out loud yet, but she couldn't deny it to herself.

The only thing that frightened her was wondering if he felt the same.


	8. Chapter 8

I can't imagine a Five-0 story without some Steve whump, so we're about to see what happens when someone dares to go after his family. Enjoy….and please review or message me. I love hearing from all of you!

***************h50****************h50********************h50

Steve and Sophia sat together for a while listening to the waves roll in. Steve sensed she needed some "quiet", so he didn't push her to return back to the house even though he had guests; It was Ohana and Steve knew they would understand if Sophia needed some time away. They'd had a wonderful and fun filled night with great food and wine. However, even though it seemed as if Sophia had enjoyed it, Steve knew it could still be overwhelming to be in the midst of so many people. Truthfully, he would have been happy to spend the night right there on the beach with her and not go back to his house at all.

Leaning back against his chest, Sophia thought how wonderful it was to be with someone who made her feel so safe. And with Steve, she never felt alone. She relaxed and felt a mixture of hardness at the physical strength he possessed…..and a softness she felt with his arms as they held her. Sophia was beginning to realize how safe Steve felt with _her_ too; At least with his heart. She knew she was one of the few people with whom he would let down his walls and it made her feel incredibly protective of him.

Steve and Sophia eventually made their way back to the McGarrett house so they could visit with everyone a little more before they left. Everyone praised her cooking skills and she promised to do it again soon.

Once everyone was gone and they'd said goodnight, Mary gave Joannie a bath, read her a story, and got her settled into bed. Then, she decided to go downstairs to make some tea before going to bed herself and was surprised to see that Steve and Sophia were not in the living room where she'd last seen them. Her eyes automatically went outside where she caught a brief glimpse of them laying together in the hammock. Smiling to herself, she decided to skip the tea, and went back up to join her daughter. It had been a long exhausting day. She laid down beside Joannie and thought about how much her and Steve's lives had changed in the last few years. They'd lost their father, Steve had quit the SEALS, they'd found their mother was still alive, lost Aunt Deb….

…. and brought Joannie _in_ to their lives. Being a mother had opened Mary's heart to love in ways she hadn't imagined possible. She certainly felt more grounded...and calm…..with Joannie in her life.

Now it seemed as if Steve may finally be opening his heart to someone as well. After only being around Sophia for a day, and seeing the interaction between her and Steve, Mary was pleasantly surprised to see that her brother didn't have quite the intensity that had always been a part of him; Like he could never turn it off. But she saw a change in him now. That wasn't to say he'd gone soft: Mary knew her brother was still a bad ass through and through, but he seemed more _relaxed _and he was smiling more. Mary knew Sophia was to thank for that.

Before falling asleep beside Joannie, Mary said a silent prayer of thanks for the great night they'd had with family. It was good to be home.

********************h50****************h50**********************h50

_The next afternoon…._

Looking up from his laptop, Steve answered his phone, "Hey, Duke."

"McGarrett….I think you need to come down here."

Steve's instincts kicked into overdrive.

Something was wrong.

Danny was walking out of his own office and noticed the distressed look on Steve's face through the window. He made his way to Steve's door and opened it. As Danny listened to his partner's side of the conversation, the crease across Steve's brow grew deeper. He recognized the worry on his partner's face.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked Duke.

Duke was silent for a moment. "Mary and Sophia Manetti are down here. Sophia was assaulted and brought in by a uni who was closeby when it happened."

Steve stood up from his desk and gripped the phone receiver so tightly it was a miracle it didn't shatter in his hands. "Is she okay? What about Mary and Joannie? What happened?"

"Your sister and Joannie are fine," Duke assured him. "They were playing at a nearby park when it happened. Miss Manetti is the one who was attacked and she is understandably a bit shaken, but doesn't have any physical injuries. They wanted to come upstairs to your office, but we need to get their statements and Miss Manetti said she would only talk to _**you**_. MGarrett, we _really_ need to get her statement _**first**_ and…..."

"Duke, it's okay," Steve interrupted. "Maybe we can help with that. Tell them to sit tight and Danny and I will be right down."

He hung up the phone and looked at Danny, "We need to go downstairs. Sophie's been assaulted."

"What? What the hell happened? Is she okay?" Danny asked as he followed Steve out of the office.

"I don't know, buddy. I kinda went blank after hearing she was attacked and didn't ask too many questions. Let's just go find out what happened to our girls."

The significance of Steve's declaration wasn't lost on Danny. Being that Mary and Joannie were Steve's family, they were already officially members of the "Ohana". However, adding _Sophia's name _as part of the group _**meant**_ something.

A **BIG** _something_…..

But now wasn't the time for that conversation. One thing Danny _was_ sure of: There wasn't anything they wouldn't do for "the family". Anyone hurting one of them had the entire Five-0 Task Force on their tale.

On their way out of the office, Steve stopped to ask Kono to come down with them in hopes she could distract Joannie while they tried to figure out what had happened. Kono was always great with kids and his niece was no exception; She loved Kono, too.

The threesome made their way quickly downstairs and into HPD headquarters where Duke was waiting. He motioned for them, "They're right over there with Officer Markum."

As soon as Sophia saw Steve walking towards her, her eyes filled with tears and she stood to walk to him. He reached her first and opened his arms to envelope her and hold her close.

_Damn, he loved holding her. _She fit him so _**perfectly.**_

That thought was short lived, however, as Steve felt rage boil inside of him as he felt Sophia's entire body shaking in fear. He turned his gaze to where Mary was giving her statement to Nate Markum with Joannie sitting on her lap. She offered him a weak smile, but he could tell she was shaken too.

Was this a _random act? Maybe_ a _**mugging**_?

OR….had Sophia been **targeted **for some reason?

It didn't really seem feasible that she had been targeted since no one had reason to go after her. Steve figured it must have just been random; A classic case of being in the right place at the wrong time. Either way, whoever was responsible was going to pay dearly for it. Steve needed to find out what had happened as soon as possible to get it resolved. His sister, his niece, and his woman had all been hurt and he would not rest until the matter was resolved.

Danny went over to Mary to listen in on what she was recounting for the statement report. While that was happening, Kono talked Joannie into going to a vending machine for a snack. Kono led the happy girl away as Mary gave her a grateful smile.

After a couple of minutes, Sophia's tremors started to slow down and Steve led her over to a chair. When she sat down, Steve pulled up another one to sit in front of her. She was looking down at her hands that were still shaking slightly in her lap. Steve took both of her hands into one of his and used his other to tip her chin up to look at him, "Talk to me, Soph. What happened?"

Sophia's bottom lip quivered. If there was one thing he hated it was seeing her cry.

"I…I…..don't…..know." she began. "Mary asked me to…..um….. go with her….to take Joannie to a park. So we drove to one close by." She mentioned the name of the park and Steve shook his head in recognition. "So, Joannie was playing on the playground with Mary and I starting to take some pictures of them together."

She looked up at Steve as if in a trance, "It's beautiful outside today, Steve. Just perfect."

"Yeah, it is," Steve tried to smile encouragingly so she would continue. "So tell me what happened next, babe."

"Okay, so….after taking some shots of the two of them, I decided to walk a little closer to the beach. I was taking candid shots of people…..You know: families, couples, stuff like that. I would've _never _reproduced them publicly….I was just trying to get a feel for photography again." She smiled at him shyly, "You've sort of awakened that in me again."

"I'm glad," Steve answered. "You have a great eye." Steve squeezed her hands again. "So what next?"

Sophia shuddered a breath and looked down at her hands again.

"Look at me, Soph."

She turned her eyes back towards Steve. The intensity she saw in his eyes was both frightening and comforting. Comforting for _her_, but not so much for her attacker if he was ever found. She drew strength from what she saw in his eyes.

"Tell me how you were attacked. What happened?"

"I don't know….. I _honestly_ have no idea. I was just taking pictures…..and the next thing I knew, I saw this guy walking _**right towards**_ me. He was looking straight at me and I had a really bad feeling. So I turned to walk away, but he started running after me and caught up to me. He knocked me down and grabbed my camera before he ran away."

"Did he _say_ anything to you?"

Sophia shook her head, "No. He just told me to give him the camera. Before I knew it, he'd torn if from around my neck and ran away."

_This was about the camera?_ _Why would someone just steal the __**camera**__? Unless…_

Sophia interrupted his thoughts when he noticed she was crying again, "I'm so sorry. That was one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten….and now it's **gone**!"

"Shhh….It's okay, sweetie. I'll get you another one."

Sophia looked up at Steve. "You don't have to do that," she said, and even though her eyes were red from crying, he still thought she looked beautiful.

"I know….but I _**want **_to. Please don't cry." Steve answered as he wiped away a stray tear.

After Sophia had composed herself again, he asked, "So, I need to ask you something."

"Okay."

"Well, from what you've said, it sounds like this guy was after your camera…..Not you…which makes me wonder why he would want it so bad. Are you sure you didn't get something in a shot that someone may not have wanted you to see?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't know. I mean I don't _think_ so." She looked at him hopelessly and sighed, "I honestly don't know."

"It's okay. We're going to figure this out. I just wish we knew what was on the camera that he might have been after."

There was suddenly a twinkle in Sophia's eyes, "Maybe we _**can**_ know what was on the camera." She reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a memory card and holding it up in front of him.

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. "You got the memory card out? But how did you do that before…."

"I do have some tricks of my own, Commander," she interrupted.

Steve couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him. In spite of himself, and not caring who might be watching, he took her face in his hands and kissed her quickly. Then, he took her hand and stood up to walk towards the officer who was finishing up with Mary's statement.

"We can take it from here, Nate. Thanks for your help."

"No problem, Commander. I'm just glad they weren't hurt. There's probably slim chance we'll ever get the camera back, though."

Danny was curious about the look on Steve's face. It was a look that told him Steve knew something about the case but wasn't able to share it just yet.

"It's okay," Steve said. "We'll handle it. I'm glad you were in the area when it happened."

Nate stood up to shake Steve's hand, "Not a problem, sir."

With that, Steve, Sophia, Mary and Danny headed back upstairs to the Five-0 offices to see what else they could discover.


	9. Chapter 9

Mary left to find Kono and Joannie while Steve, Danny, and Sophia continued making their way back upstairs to the Five-0 offices. Danny was shooting Steve some curious glances, but Steve wasn't saying anything yet about what he'd apparently found out. Once they were inside the main door that led to the offices, Danny couldn't stand the curiosity anymore.

"So are you going to tell me what you've apparently found out…..or do I get three guesses?"

Steve was still holding Sophia's hand as he gave Danny a long suffering look. His eyes were twinkling with mischief, however. "Would you be patient?"

Danny's eyebrows shot up, "You're asking me to be patient?" A chuckle escaped him, "That's hilarious considering you are one of the most impatient people I know."

Sophia laughed as well, and the sound of it made Steve feel better considering what she'd been through that afternoon. He led her and Danny over to the smart table before finally answering Danny's question. He held up the memory card Sophia had given him from her camera. Danny looked from the memory card…..to Steve…to Sophia.

"You got the memory card? How did you manage to do that?" He gave her a stunned grin that was also full of admiration.

She shrugged and smiled shyly, "Like I told Steve, I have some tricks of my own."

"So anyway….." Steve interrupted as he slid the memory card into the slot in the table that would open the files stored there. "Let's see what's on here."

Sophia had apparently been busy since Steve had given her the camera. There were roughly four dozen pictures from the last two days, but most of them were shots of Joannie…..Joannie and Mary…..or _Mother Nature_; She had some beautiful pictures of the flowers and landscaping around the McGarrett home…..even catching some butterflies and honey bees in the process. There were also pictures of the sunset over the ocean the night before. Danny looked with appreciation and had to agree that Steve's praise of her talent had not been exaggerated.

She really _was_ good.

As they went through each of the pictures individually, Steve stopped on a pictures she had taken of him the night before of which he hadn't been aware. It was a candid shot of him with his head thrown back in a laugh as he clapped his hands together. It also appeared to have been taken from inside the house. Looking at the picture, Steve remembered the moment as being one when Jerry shared a funny story. Since Steve paused on the picture, Sophia tried to explain.

"Ummmm….I took that last night. I went inside to get some more bread to bring out to the table…..and as I was walking back out…Well, you just looked so _**happy**_….and I wanted to capture that."

Steve's eyes softened as he looked at her. He reached out a hand to run it up and down her arm causing goosebumps to pop up all over.

"So you were _watching_ me?" Steve asked with his sexy little half smile.

"I'm pretty much always watching you," Sophia said before she could catch herself. "Ummm…." She looked away embarrassed at her own admission before turning back to him. "I mean….you know…..I'm…."

Steve winked at her. "It's alright, Soph. I like it."

Then, before embarrassing her too much, he started going through the other pictures. By this time, Chin and Grover were making their way out of their offices to join the group.

"What's going on?" Grover asked.

"Mary, Joannie, and Sophia were at a park today and Sophia's camera was stolen," Danny said.

"Stolen?" Chin asked as he looked towards Sophia. "They took it right out of your hands?"

"Actually, it was strapped around my neck," she answered. "He tore it from my neck and ran away." She reached a hand up unconsciously to rub her neck which was getting more sore by the minute as a result of the assault. Steve saw it and made a mental note to help her with that later.

"Sophie managed to get the memory card out of the camera before it was taken, though, so we're looking through to see if anything looks suspicious."

Steve clicked through a few more pictures before Chin stopped him on a certain picture. It was a picture Sophia had taken of a child joyously chasing a bird as it tried to fly away. Danny looked at him curiously, "What is it?"

Chin stepped towards the table and zoomed in on the section of the picture that had caught his attention. In the background, and nearly invisible to the naked eye, there were two men conversing.

He pointed at one man in particular. "This is Donovan Mancini. He's one of Gabriel's right-hand men."

Realization hit all of them as they saw the face that matched a name they had become very familiar with over the last couple of years.

Sophia, on the other hand, had no idea what they were talking about. "Who are Donovan Mancini and_ Gabriel_?"

Steve let out a frustrated sigh and looked down where his hands were fisted on the table, "They're two guys you don't want to know."

He grimaced when Sophia gave him a look that told him she wouldn't accept that answer. "Gabriel Waincroft is what you could call our 'Public Enemy #1'," he explained. "His predominate business is drugs; Everything from coke and heroine to basic street drugs. He also has his hands in a bunch of other things." Steve pointed toward the man in the picture, "Mancini is his right hand man….Or at least we _think _he is. We've never actually seen them together but a lot of other evidence has pointed that way."

Grover pointed at the picture again. "So who's this other guy?"

"That's the guy who took my camera!" Sophia blurted out as realization hit her.

The only thing visible in the picture of the two men was that Mancini was handing something to the "other guy". They couldn't tell what he was handing over, but it was definitely suspicious. They must have seen Sophia snapping pictures during the exchange and decided to confiscate her camera to destroy evidence. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't obtained the evidence they hoped for.

However, it was also unfortunate for Sophia because it meant they would soon realize the omission and come looking for it.

Sophia was in danger and that didn't settle well with Steve.

"So what happens when they find out they don't have any pictures?" Sophia asked.

Steve, Danny, Lou, and Chin all looked in her direction. Steve was the one who spoke, "I don't want you to worry. We're going to handle it."

"How can I not worry about it?" she exclaimed a little more loudly than she'd intended. However, considering she'd just learned one of the most dangerous criminals on the island could be after her, it was difficult to stay calm. "How am I going to feel safe in my house again?"

"You're not going back to your house until this is over." Steve's voice left no room for argument.

Sophia opened her mouth to protest, but Steve's stern look made her clamp it shut when he answered her unspoken disagreement, "Before you say anything, it's not open for discussion," he said. "You're going to stay with _me_ until this is over."

"But…..but…"

Steve held up his hand to stop her again and continued on with his thought, "And _**secondly**_….. we WILL find them. Trust me." Steve took her hand in his in a sign of support and protection.

The elevator opened and Joannie came running out to find her Uncle Steve with Mary and Kono close behind. Steve picked her up and smiled at the chocolate around her mouth undoubtedly caused from the half-eaten cookie in her hand. She held the cookie up to Steve's mouth and he took a bite as well. Everyone smiled at the sight of the Commander being reduced to a pile of mush over his niece.

Kono noticed at the pictures on the screen, "Did you find something?"

They briefed her and Mary on what they'd found. No one felt good about what Sophia may have caught on camera, but at least now they could come up with a plan.

"So what next?" Danny asked.

Steve pointed to the man in the picture that they had yet to identify; The same one who had stolen the camera. "Kono, run his face through facial recognition and see if we get a hit. If he's working with someone like Mancini, he has to have a record."

"You got it," Kono answered as she made her way to her office to start the search.

"Also, once they figure out they don't have what they were looking for, they may get rid of the camera," Steve continued. "We need to check local pawn shops and see if we can find it. Chin and Grover, can you start checking into that?"

That left him and Danny. Since Danny was leaving to pick Gracie and Charlie for the night, Steve didn't ask him for help at the moment.

He turned towards Mary and Sophia, "_**We**_ are all going to go back home."

Mary shook her head, "We'll be fine, Steve. We drove the truck today, remember? We can get back to the house on our own while you guys try to find," She covered Joannie's ears, "the _**prick**_ who did this."

Steve looked skeptical, but finally relented. "Alright, fine. But go straight home, Mar. We don't know what these guys know yet, so I don't want you guys making any pit stops. Understand?"

Mary looked at Sophia and shook her head, "See how bossy he can be? Are you sure you can put up with that?"

Sophia couldn't hide her amusement even though Steve's expression remained firm. "I think I can handle it," Sophia said confidently even though her smile was shy as she looked at Steve. He felt his tough exterior soften…..just a little.

Then Mary smiled at her brother indulgently, "I promise we will go _**straight**_ home."

Steve grimaced at them both, "Okay…..Call me when you get there."

Steve picked Joannie up to give her a kiss before giving Mary a hug….and a quick chaste kiss to Sophia. The fact that he was showing _any_ kind of PDA (public display of affection) was a big signal to Mary that he had strong feelings for Sophia. Mary was thrilled by the idea since Sophia seemed like a great match for her brother.

***********h50*****************h50*********************h50

_Two days later…_

The Five-0 team was getting more and more frustrated with yet another day passing and no progress on Sophia's case. Steve was getting worried with each day….and hour….that past since he knew it wasn't like Waincroft to stay silent and not "act". They may not be able to tie Gabriel to the theft of Sophia's camera, but the fact that his "right hand man" had been involved caused them all a great deal of worry. Steve's gut was telling him they couldn't grow complacent; The men would surface again which could be bad news for Sophia. They needed to find out what was going on before things escalated to that point.

Steve returned home that night and walked into the house to the aroma of something in the kitchen. He put his keys on the table and walked in that direction where he found Joannie sitting on the counter as Sophia was showing her how to knead dough she was going to make for dinner.

_I could get use to this_, he thought.

"Unca Teve!" Joannie said. "Tofie is showing me how make bwed!"

Steve chuckled at her "toddler talk". "I can see that," Steve answered her. "It smells great in here….What else are you helping Sophie make?"

Sophia felt Steve behind her and turned to give him a kiss before answering his question of what was for dinner.

"You're killin' me with this good food," He said as he put his arms around her waist. "I'm not use to eating like this, ya know."

Sophia beamed at him, "It's good for you," she answered. "Besides, as active as you stay all the time, it's not like you're going to gain anything."

Steve smiled at her, "I'm not complaining. Just saying you're spoiling me."

"You deserve to be spoiled," Sophia answered.

Steve, Sophia, Mary, and Joannie enjoyed dinner together before going through what was becoming a nightly routine: Mary gave Joannie a bath, Steve or Sophia would read her a story before bed, and then the three adults would have wine, beer…..or tea…..before going to bed.

It was all very "domestic", and even though it was somewhat foreign to Steve, he was finding that he enjoyed it.

***************h50*************h50***************h50

Five-0 got another case to work that took priority over Sophia's, at the moment. Since there hadn't been any new leads, they focused their attention on the new case and hoped for a break in Sophia's case as well.

They were all back in the office together by late afternoon to discuss what progress had been made on the new case. One suspect was in custody and being questioned by Lou and Chin while Kono looked at some video footage pertaining to their case.

Steve was trying to catch up on some paperwork in his office when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw Mary calling. He knew the girls had gone out to do some shopping around lunchtime, so hopefully, she was calling to tell him they'd arrived back home safely.

"Hey, Mar…..Are you guys back home?" he asked absentmindedly as he looked at his computer screen.

"Steve. You need to come home."

"What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"The house has been tossed!" Mary exclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…..We came home and the whole freaking house is a mess. Someone was in here looking for something. My guess is it was the memory card that Sophia managed to get out of the camera."

"Dammit….." Steve muttered under his breath.

*******h50*************h50***************h50************


	10. Chapter 10

"I'll be right there," Steve said.

"Wait….." Mary hesitated. "There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

Steve heard Mary sigh on the other line. "Okay…..just don't get mad at ME for telling you this….but….Sophia _left_ as soon as we saw the inside of the house."

Steve stood up from his desk as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm sorry….did you say she _left?_ Where did she _**go**_?"

"I don't know, Steve. Please don't be mad at me. We walked in and saw the mess and she just got in the car and left."

Steve ran his free hand over his face in frustration just as Danny walked into his office with concern on his face.

"It's okay, Mar…." Steve said. "Tell me if you hear from her. In the meantime, I'm going to send someone over to pick up you and Joannie while Danny and I will see if we can find her."

He hung up and looked at Danny.

"What was that about?" Danny asked.

"The girls got back to my house and it had been ransacked."

"Seriously? Why? Someone looking for the memory card?"

"Probably, " Steve confirmed. "But they didn't find it obviously, since _we_ have it. But when Sophia saw the mess and realized what had happened, she left. What I want to know is how in the hell did they link her to _**me**_ so quickly? How would they even know to look in _**my **_house for it? "

"Definitely questions that need to be answered. So, where did she go?"

"I don't know…..but we're going to find her," Steve said. "And when we _**do**_ find her, she and I are going to have a very long discussion."

Steve was pissed…There was no denying that, so rather than saying anything else, Danny followed Steve out of his office. Danny completely understood the frustration. Sophia was putting herself into more danger which wasn't acceptable.

Before they left the office, Steve briefly filled in the rest of the team on what was happening. He asked Kono to put a trace on her phone before motioning for Danny to follow him.

******************h50******************h50***********************h50

Steve and Danny left HQ and started towards Sophia's apartment. It was the first place Steve thought she would go. While they were on their way, Steve's phone rang again. Caller ID showed it was Sophia.

Steve skipped the niceties and got right to the point, "Where the hell are you?"

"They were in your house, Steve!"

Steve forced himself to sound calm even though he felt anything but 'calm'. "Yeah, I know….Mary called me. What I _don't_ know is what made you think it was a good idea to _leave_ my house rather than staying with Mary and Joannie and _calling_ **me**!"

He was not happy…..Like everyone else, Sophia could hear that very clearly.

When she didn't say anything in response, Steve's temper rose even more. "Dammit, Sophia! ….._**Where are you?**_ And I swear, if you don't tell me in the next _**five seconds….**_."

"You'll _**what**_?! WHAT are you gonna do, Steve McGarrett?! "_Basta!" _she began. "_**I**_ brought this on all of you…..This is _my _fault, and I will figure it out."

Yes, she was _**also**_ angry and her Italian temper was evident. Although Steve usually found those outbursts funny…..or even cute…..he was not amused this time.

The word "_Basta"_, if Steve remembered correctly, meant "Enough!" …..Probably Sophia's version of "Get over it" he thought grimly.

"Are you **kidding** me?" He said as his frustration grew in the tone of his voice. He saw Danny giving him a "take a breath" look and did so before continuing.

Steve took a breath and exhaled, "_Tell_ me…_**where**_ you are… _**Right now**_."

She waited a couple of beats before answering. He heard a resigned sigh. "I'm at my apartment, okay? I just got here and I'm getting ready to go in."

"Don't even think about it!" Steve demanded. "Danny and I are 15 minutes away, so get your ass back in the car until we get there. Do you understand me?"

She didn't answer right away and Steve heard a gasp.

"What is it?" he asked.

Sophia's voice was much quieter when she answered, "My front door has been opened…..Just barely, but the lock is clearly broken."

"Do what I said, Sophia. Get back to the car. RIGHT NOW. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Sophia mumbled what he hoped was her agreement to do so before hanging up. He punched his foot even harder on the accelerator.

*********************h50********************h50*********************h50

Steve screeched to a halt in the parking lot of Sophia's apartment complex. He looked at Sophie's car to find she wasn't there. He cursed under his breath realizing she hadn't listened to him after all. He hoped she had at least gone to a neighbor's house to wait on them.

Steve and Danny started walking towards Sophi's front door. Curiously, the door was closed even though she'd told them it was open.

Their concern grew stronger.

Steve looked to see that the lock had indeed been broken, but the door was shut. Something didn't feel right and he and Danny shared a 'look'.

While Danny took point beside the door, Steve knocked.

"Soph, it's Steve. Open up?"

There was no answer, so he tried again. "Open up, honey. It's me."

Still no response.

On Steve's mark, Danny kicked open the door and they both began to sweep through her apartment. It had been tossed, just like Steve's house, but she was nowhere to be found. The only thing Steve saw was a note on her bed which read, "We'll be in touch, Commnder McGarrett."

Steve let out another curse aa he crumpled up the note and threw it down. He and Danny tried to look more thoroughly, but nothing had been left to lead them to her. On the way out of her apartment, Steve punched a door in frustration before telling Danny they would need to go back to HQ.

Danny was worried. The only other time he'd ever seen Steve so out of sorts was the time Mary had been kidnapped. He hoped they could find Sophia soon; Otherwise, he feared things could get out of control.

********************h50**************h50*****************h50

Back at HQ….

The team continued to look for ANY clues of where she might be…OR who had taken her.

Steve's phone rang with a number he didn't recognize. He motioned for the team to join him and listen in to the conversation.

"Commander, McGarrett. I have heard so much about you."

Steve didn't like the tone of the man's voice…..He sounded much to calm and menacing. "Who is this?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Your concern at the moment is giving something back that belongs to me."

"Where is Sophia?" Steve demanded trying to keep his voice calm.

"She is fine…..at least for now. Are you prepared to make a swap?"

"Let me talk to her and we'll discuss it."

There was a long pause on the other line before Steve heard the man sigh. "Tell you what. I'll do even better than that. I'll let you _see_ her."

The caller changed to a video call, so Steve plugged his phone into the smart table so they could see everything on screen. The first thing they noticed was that the room was completely dark and void of any windows or natural light. Sophia was sitting in a chair with her hands and feet bound. Her mouth had also been gagged and her face was streaked with tears. Steve felt his heart sink even as anger started to rise from his gut. Whoever was responsible for doing this to her was going to pay, he vowed.

They couldn't see anything else in the frame that would give them even a slight chance of figuring out where they were holding her.

The man's hand came within frame to pull the gag out of Sophia's mouth. "Tell them you're fine, my dear."

When Sophia didn't respond right way, they watched in horror as he slapped her face so hard that blood started running from her lip and nearly knocked her out of the chair. "Tell them you are fine if you ever want out of this alive!" He screamed.

Sophia looked into the phone. "I'm fine, Steve. I'm sorry I didn't stay out….I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Soph. We're going to get you out. I promise." Steve said as he tried to sound more calm than he felt.

The caller kept the camera focused on Sophia as he spoke again, "Now, do we negotiate, Commander?"

"First of all," Steve began, "If you _touch her_ again, I will rip your heart out when I find you. Do you understand?"

The man ignored him and said, "And second?"

"Second….Yes, we can negotiate. Tell me what you want."

"Do not pretend to be stupid, Commander. We both know you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. I want the memory card from Ms. Manetti's camera. And you are going to get it back to me if you ever want to see her again?"

Kono was trying to get a trace on the call, so Steve tried to keep conversation going.

"Wanna tell me what's so important on that memory card that would make you do something this stupid?"

"I would watch my tone if I were you. After all, I still have Miss Manetti…..so you don't want to piss me off. I may just have to retaliate." he said.

Steve was tired of the games, and as his Ohana knew very well, he didn't "do" mind games with criminals very well; Especially when someone he cared about was involved.

"Like I said, it would be in your best interest to leave her alone. I've already decided to kick your ass, so anything else you do will only make it worse."

Danny knew it was time to step in. As much as he respected his partner, he also knew this could spin out of control very quickly. He put a hand on Steve's shoulder and spoke to the kidnapper.

"Tell us what you want." Danny said. "We don't want to see this end badly for anyone. What do you want?"

"Well, hello, Detective Williams….I will call you back in thirty minutes to arrange a swap."

The call ended and Steve immediately looked towards Kono. "Sorry, boss…..I couldn't get an exact lock on his location because he's bouncing the signal off of too many locations."

At Steve's grimace, she continued, "However…..I did pinpoint the general area which is mostly industrial. If we focus on abandoned businesses and warehouses, we might find them."

Chin was the next one to speak up out of concern for Steve. "Steve, I know you care about her…..and I completely understand, but we're going to have to handle this guy with 'kid gloves' until we find her.."

Steve took a calming breath and let out a big sigh. "I know…." He looked over his entire team. "You're right. I'm sorry….I'm just worried."

Lou came across and gave Steve a supportive pat on the back, "We understand that, buddy and we **will** get her back. Okay?"

At this point, what else could he do? He had to trust his team…..his Ohana….to help him get Sophia back safely.

Mary came walking in carrying Joannie who looked scared. She may be too young to understand everything that was going on, but she could sense the tension in the room as they entered.

"Have you heard from her?" Mary asked.

"Yeah," Steve said as he cast a glance in Joannie's direction. "But things have gotten…. complicated."

Joannie reached out one of her little hands to touch her uncle's cheek. "You okay, Unca Teve?"

Steve gave her what he hoped was a confident smile as he reached to hold her, "Everything's fine sweetie." He held Joannie in his arms and looked at Mary. "I'm going to take Joannie into the break room to get some juice while Danny fills you in."

"Yay!" Joannie said as she hugged her uncles neck as he walked away.

Mary looked around and noticed how concerned everyone looked. This couldn't be good, "Okay, so tell me what happened."


	11. Chapter 11

They quickly filled Mary in on what had happened and what they knew…..which wasn't much, unfortunately.

"Someone kidnapped her? So, what are you going to do?!**" **Mary asked.

Steve chose that moment to walk back in with Joannie who had juice in a "sippy cup" and a snack.

Mary shot him a surprised look and he just shrugged it off with a small smile, "I keep snacks here for her when you're in town."

"Seriously?" Mary asked delightedly.

"Yes, seriously." Steve pretended to be 'offended' at her lack of confidence in his ability to provide for his niece.

"And the sippy cup?"

"Also here for Joannie." Steve answered as if it was no big deal…..but Mary felt her heart melt. Her big-bad-bro was going to be such an awesome daddy someday.

Steve looked back at Joannie, who was still in his arms, "You like my snacks, don't you?"

"Yes, Unca Teve….Your snacks are da best!"

"Okay…..so I'm going to take you into my office so you can watch something on Netflix while we talk about some things out here."

Joannie's expression grew serious. "Is Tophie okay?"

Steve was taken by surprise at her sudden change of attitude. She may be young, but she was apparently old enough to realize something not so good was going on. "Sophie is fine, honey." Steve assured her.

"Because you'll take care of her, right?"

The faith Joannie had in him was enough to strengthen his resolve. "_**Yes**_…I will take care of her. Just like I always take care of you and Mommy."

"I don't want Tophie to be hurt, Unca Teve."

Steve pulled her closer and kissed her cheek, "Sophie is fine, baby…I promise to have her back soon so you can make more cookies together. Okay?"

Even as he said it, Mary knew with absolute certainty that Steve would do it. She didn't know **how**, but she knew her brother well enough to know he **would **get Sophia back.

And she was sincerely looking forward to it because Sophia Manetti had awakened something in her brother that she hadn't seen for years.

Mary took Joannie from Steve and got her settled in his office where she could watch a Disney show on the laptop while the adults planned strategies for rescuing Sophia.

When she came back out to join them, Kono was pulling up a picture of the second man they had been able to identify on Sophia's camera.

"His name is Jordan Prescott. He's 'lower level' as far as Gabriel's network is concerned, but since he was the one who was meeting with Mancini…..and is the one who Sophia identified as the one who stole the camera….. he's obviously far enough up the chain of command to be of interest."

Steve saw the glint in her eye.

"Please tell me we know where he is," he said.

Kono smiled, "We do." She pulled up a satellite map of the island and zoned in on a certain neighborhood. "I've traced his phone and all of his calls for the last two months. It seems he never leaves home without it. As of right now, it looks like he's home."

Steve didn't waste a second. "Call HPD and see if they have a unit in the area. If so, have them pick him up. If no one is in the area, dispatch them there asap."

Then he paused as he looked at every member of his team. "And when he's here….**I** am going to talk to him. Understand?"

Everyone knew what that meant: The man was in for a crap load of pain if he didn't give up the location where Sophia was being held or at least information that led them in the right direction.

"Why don't you go pick him up yourself?" Mary asked.

Steve sighed, "Because Mancini said he would call back in 30 minutes, so we need to be ready when it happens."

*************h50******************h50*************h50

Almost ninety minutes had passed since Donovan Mancini had promised to call back. HPD had brought Jordan Prescott in and he was currently waiting in 'the dungeon' for Steve and Danny. Steve had hoped to get a call back with instructions from Mancini on when and where they could get Sophia back before questioning Prescott, but it didn't seem as if that would be the case.

He came out of his office and motioned for Danny to join him before looking at the rest of their team, "Let me know the second a call comes in from him. Danny and I are going downstairs to question this SOB and find Sophia."

"You got it," Lou concurred before Steve and Danny walked out to make their way to question Prescott; Actually, it would be Steve questioning him while Danny hoped to keep him under control.

Danny stopped Steve right before they entered the interrogation room.

"You okay to do this?" he asked.

"I'm fine Danny."

"Are you _sure_? Because that muscle in your jaw has been twitching the entire walk down here. You're gonna break a tooth off if you grind your teeth any harder."

Steve stopped, took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it out slowly in a genuine effort to put a clamp on his anger before looking back at his partner.

"We don't have a lot of time to waist, Danny, so the sooner we get information out of him, the better. I don't want Sophia with Mancini a second longer than necessary. I mean, what would _**you**_ do if this was Melissa?"

Danny gave him a sympathetic look, "I understand. _Really_…..I **do**. I want Donovan Mancini's head on a platter as much as you do…..BUT….. we're going to have to handle this with kid gloves if we want to get anything out of him. We can't afford to have him shut down and give us _nothing_."

Steve smirked sarcastically as he reached for the door knob, "Oh he's going to give us _something_…Trust me."

As Steve walked in to confront Jordan Prescott, Danny couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "And here we go."

Prescott looked up at the two men entering the room, "It's about time someone came in here. What the hell is going on? Why am I here?"

"We're going to get to that Mr. Prescott," Steve said as he held up a folder and started leafing through it. "So you have quite a record here; Several cases of Breaking and Entering… Assault with a Deadly Weapon…two DWI's…..and the list goes on."

He shrugged, "Yeah. So?"

"So, I want to know about something you stole at Waikiki Beach the other day."

"This is about that _**camera?**_?" he asked in disbelief.

"Not technically. But it _**is**_ about the woman you stole the camera _from_."

Jordan had the decency to look somewhat nervous at that point. He fidgeted in his chair, although there was nowhere he could go since the handcuffs had him tightly bound to the spot.

"What about her?" he asked.

"Do you know who she is?" Danny retorted.

"No."

"So, she was just a _random _target? All those people on the beach with cameras, bags, and everything else at easy access and you chose to grab a camera that was around a woman's neck….._**at random?**_" Steve asked sarcastically.

Jordan fidgeted again so Steve continued, "I know you know who she is. We also know you were with Donovan Mancini…who works with Gabriel Waincroft…. before you stole the camera because we saw the pictures putting the two of you together."

He swallowed nervously, "So what do you want?"

"I want to know where she is." Steve said as he took a step forward.

"What do you mean? I have _**no idea**_ where she is."

Steve took another step forward and leaned down so his face was within inches of Jordan Prescott's. "Oh, I think you do," he growled. "And you're going to tell me. One way or another, you're going to tell me. Do you understand?"

"I don't know anything," he insisted. "And even if I _**did**_ know something, I couldn't tell you. They would kill me!"

Danny looked at Jordan and interjected, "Who's 'they'?"

It took a moment for Jordan to speak up, "Gabriel Waincroft."

"Let me give you some friendly advice," Danny said. "If you don't tell us what you know, Gabriel Waincroft and Donovan Mancini will be the least of your worries. We can protect you if you tell us what you know so we can find her."

When Jordan said nothing, Danny continued, "Another piece of advice, I would talk, if I were you. If you aren't cooperative, the next few minutes are going to be very unpleasant for you."

Jordan laughed, "What are you gonna do? Beat it out of me? You're **cops!** You can't touch me or I'll sue you for police brutality!"

Steve smiled at him although the smile didn't reach his eyes which were cold as ice as the moment and full of resolve. He took the badge currently clipped to his belt and handed it to Danny before turning his gaze back to Jordan Prescott. "Can you give us a few minutes, Danny?" It was very reminiscent of the time Steve had taken Danny's badge and let him 'interrogate' a suspect who had kidnapped two girls and held them captive.

Danny took the badge from Steve and shook his head, "Sure thing. I'll just be outside if you need me."

As he turned to leave the room, Jordan said, "Wait! Where are you going? You can't leave me here with **him**!"

He may not be the sharpest man on the planet, but he knew enough to realize that Detective Williams was the "good cop" in this situation.

Danny turned around and offered him a sympathetic look, "I tried to warn you," he said. "Commander McGarrett's gonna take it from here."

Ignoring Jordan Prescott's pleas, he walked out of the room, closed the door, and said a silent prayer that Steve didn't go too far. Yes, they had "full immunity and means", but even that had its limits.

After Danny shut the door, Steve walked calmly over to the chair and unfastened Jordan's handcuffs. "So at the moment, let's assume that I'm not a 'cop' anymore. Got it?" Then he walked to stand in front of him again, "I'm going to ask you one more time…..nicely…and then we're going to negotiate. Understand?"

Jordan said nothing and Steve got down in his face once again, "Where is Sophia Manetti?"

"I told you, I don't know where she's at. I'm just a delivery guy, dude…..That's all."

He may be trying to play the innocent card, but Steve could tell he was lying As such, he was finished playing games. He grabbed Jordan Prescott by the shirt collar, lifted him up, and pushed him up against the wall…hard. "You _have_ to know something dammit! Give me _**something.**_"

Jordan made the mistake of laughing which was when Steve began to give him some "motivation" to talk. Needless to say, Steve was quick to convince him to open up with what he knew after that.

It didn't take long before Jordan stopped him.

"Alright… ALRIGHT! I'll tell you what I know…..even though it isn't much."

Steve stopped to look at him, "Now we're getting somewhere. I knew you would come around."

Danny opened the door and poked his head in, "Steve…..We got something."

Steve wasted no time securing Jordan Prescott back to the chair, "Hold that thought….I'll be back."

He met Danny out in the hall. "Mancini's on the phone."

It had been almost two hours since he'd promised to call back "within 30 minutes". Steve couldn't wait to talk to him…..let alone get his hands on the man.

The walked back into HQ and Grover motioned him over to the table where they had Mancini on speaker. "This is McGarrett."

"Commander McGarrett, please forgive the delay. We were _occupied_."

_Occupied,_ Steve thought. _What the hell did __**that**__ mean?_

"**Talk,** Mancini. What is it that you want?"

"I am willing to release the beautiful Sophia back to you."

Steve's blood boiled just hearing the way he said 'beautiful Sophia'.

"**But**, I want the memory card."

Steve didn't waste any time. "Fine. Where do we meet?"

Mancini mentioned where the 'transfer' could take place. Then he said, "AND…. I want your _sister _to be the one to meet and hand over the card."

"No way!" Steve said immediately.

Mary was listening in, however, and stepped forward to put a hand on her brother's forearm.

"I can do this, Steve. We have to get her back." Mary whispered.

Steve looked at her with a mixture of emotions on his face before Mancini spoke again, "Are you listening, Commander?" he barked.

"**Yes!**" Steve barked back as he looked at the rest of his team.

They all had determined expressions; Determination to get Sophia back and keep Mary safe in the process.

"Alright," Steve finally consented. "Give us a time and we'll be there."

They finalized arrangements and the Five-0 team scrambled in to motion to get everything ready for the "exchange" which would take place within an hour.

"What about Jordan Prescott?" Danny asked.

"Hold him until this is over," Steve answered. "He'll be our insurance in case Mancini doesn't keep his word."

*****************h50**************************h50******************

Next chapter coming ASAP! I'm also working on an update for "Catherine Needs You".


	12. Chapter 12

**Time to rescue Sophia! It will happen in the NEXT chapter, I promise. We're getting ready to see some Steve whump! **

**However, THIS chapter is all about introducing a new character; Its someone who is important in Sophia's life. We might see just a tad bit of "jealousy" from Steve in the future until he realizes there is nothing to worry about. ;) **

**Since our beloved Five-0 Ohana characters are all based around "real" tv characters for which we have faces, I thought it would be fun to base this new character on someone else a lot of us probably know from television. **

**We're going to meet Dr. Brian Morris…..a friend Sophia has known since college and who will be loosely based on Dr. Mark Sloan (aka "McSteamy") from Grey's Anatomy. Keep that handsome and sexy man in mind as we meet Dr. Morris. ;) **

***NOTE: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 OR Grey's Anatomy, so just putting that little disclaimer in here. No copyright infringement intended…..Just having some fun and feeding my need to write. Lol. **

***************h50******************h50*******************h50

The team started putting together a quick plan to get Sophia back and keep Mary safe in the process. They only had a couple of hours to pull it all together, and knowing that Mancini would be watching them put everyone on high alert. They were going to have to be stealthy.

Duke called Steve's phone so he answered. "Hey Duke. What's up?"

"McGarrett, there is a Dr. Brian Morris down here looking for you. Says he's a friend of Sophia's who just flew in and went by her apartment before coming here to see what's going on. I thought you might want to talk to him."

The name sounded familiar, but Steve couldn't remember why. "Yeah, send him up."

A few minutes later, the doors of Five-0 opened and a tall man who looked to be in his mid to late 30's walked in. "I'm looking for Commander McGarrett?"

Steve stepped forward to meet him, "I'm Steve McGarrett," he said reaching out his hand to shake the other man's. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey..I'm Brian Morris…. A friend of Sophia Manetti's. I just flew in and went by her apartment and saw the police tape across the door. I know you served as a SEAL with her brother, so I came straight here. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Follow me. We'll talk in my office."

Then, remembering that Joannie was in his office, he re-routed. "On second thought, just follow me," he said before going in to Danny's office and shutting the door.

**************h50*****************h50********************h50

As soon as the door was closed, Mary looked towards Kono. "Seriously? Talk about a _long_, _tall_, drink of **cool** water!" She whispered as she pretended to fan herself.

Kono couldn't help but chuckle appreciatively while the guys just grimaced or frowned. At the same moment, Abbie returned from a visit to Max's office. Seeing everyone look towards Danny's office, she turned that way as well.

Recognition hit her.

"Wait. Is that _the_ Dr. Brian _Morris_?" She turned back to look at the rest of the team. "Why is _he_ here? Did I miss something?"

Chin gave her a surprised look, "You _know_ him?"

No one could miss the slow smile that crossed her face as she looked back towards Danny's office.

"Yeah I know him…..Well _sort of_…I mean…..not _really_," Abbie shrugged.

Lou's eyebrows shot up in question, "So which is it? Yeah…..Sort of…..Or Not Really?"

"Dr. Morris is a very _well-known_ OB/GYN who specializes in high-risk pregnancies and infertility." Abbie explained as if trying to defend the man currently talking to Steve. "He's _**also**_ a Board Certified plastic surgeon. He handles mostly high risk pregnancies, gynecological surgeries, and female reconstructive surgeries other doctors won't even **look **at. We used him a few times as a professional consult on cases I worked."

"What kinds of cases?" Kono asked.

Abby took a deep breath before sighing sadly. "We consulted Dr. Morris on several cases involving serial rapists….or domestic abuse…where the victim had been injured and/or severely traumatized. He even did some 'pro bono' work for us no matter if it was some sort of gynecological surgery…or plastic surgery to repair damage from abuse….It didn't matter. He performed any surgery necessary, and helped them_ heal._ He's very good at what he does."

Danny was the next one to speak. "He's a _gynecologist_?"

"Not only a gynecologist," Abbie corrected. "He's an _obstetrician, gynecologist___**and** plastic/reconstructive _surgeon._" She leveled a look at all of them. "The man is a _**genius.**_ Top of his class all the way through school and has performed countless procedures with women and babies that got him recognized as one of the best in the world."

Danny asked the obvious question. "So why is he here?"

They all turned their gaze back towards Danny's office.

"_**That**_, ladies and gentleman, is the question of the day." Lou said.

Hopefully they would have the answer to that question soon.

**************h50*********************h50******************h50

As soon as Steve closed the door, Brian asked again, "What's going on, Commander? Is Sophia okay?"

"Mr. Morris…" Steve began.

"_Doctor_ Morris...", he interrupted. "But _please_ call me Brian."

"Okay, Brian, Uh…..I need to ask you one question."

Brian Morris shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. "Ok."

"How do you know Sophia?"

"Is she in some sort of trouble?"

"Can you just answer my question please?"

Brian released a sigh, "Sophia and I have been friends for 15 years, alright? We met at Southern Cal when I was a senior and she was a sophomore needing a tutor to get through Chemistry. Yes, I was a wide receiver on the football team….and she was a cheerleader…..but I was majoring in Pre-Med and tutoring on the side to make extra money. I was her tutor…..and we've been friends ever since." He took a breath and let it out again, "I don't mean to be rude, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Let's sit down." Steve said as he motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. Once they were both seated, Steve offered the doctor a friendly smile, "_Now_ I know why your name sounded familiar. I've heard about you. You were at Gio's funeral, right?"

Steve remembered hearing Gio talk about the friend Sophia met while at college. Although Sophia had always insisted that she and Brian were just friends, her big brother had worried….and lost sleep...wondering if there was more than friendship between them when Sophia was younger. After all, she was only 20 when they met.

Then, during one 3-month leave their SEAL team had in the States, Gio apparently met Brian Morris and was fairly certain after that that his sister and Brian were indeed "_just friends_".

From what Steve had interpreted in Gio's conversations about Morris, it had given him a certain amount of peace knowing Sophia had a friend looking after his sister when he wasn't there.

Gio had even _called_ Morris a few times while they were overseas and he wanted the "real scoop" on how his sister was doing (since she had a tendency to keep things from Gio as a means of "not worrying" him).

The first time _Steve_ saw Brian Morris "in person", however, had been at Gio's funeral.

If memory served him correctly, Dr. Morris was now a world-renowned specialist with his own practice in Los Angeles.

"Yeah. Can you please tell me what's going on?" The look on Brian Morris' face was one filled with worry. "I just flew in from L.A. a couple hours ago. I've been worried about her since Gio died. Whenever we talk, she tells me she's 'fine', but I've known her long enough to be able to hear in her voice when she's telling me the truth. …..and I know she's been lying to me about that. She's gotten progressively more depressed, so I finally decided to come here myself and give her a surprise visit. I needed to see if my worries were warranted. So what's going on?"

Steve leveled a look at the man in front of him; Someone he was certain loved Sophia almost as much as he did and would do whatever was necessary to protect and take care of her. "Brian, there's no easy way to say this….but Sophia has been kidnapped."

Brian shot to his feet. "What the hell? She was _kidnapped?!_ Who took her?...And _**why?**_?"

"We're going to find her," Steve said confidently as he stood feeling a need to reassure this man that they would get her back.

Steve and Brian were the same height, so standing up allowed them to look eye to eye.

"We've been in touch with the kidnapper and are working on a plan to get her back right now." Steve said.

Brian ran a hand through his hair, "But is she okay? Do you know that she's _okay?_"

"We talked to her briefly." Steve didn't want to give too many details just yet. Honestly, he didn't know if Sophia was "okay" or not. Just thinking about what Mancini may've done to her was putting his stomach in knots and he didn't feel it was fair to put that burden onto one of Sophia's closest friends.

Brian seemed to take some consolation hearing that Steve had talked to her since she'd been kidnapped even though his look was wary.

"So does Momma Rosa know about this?"

"**No,**" Steve said emphatically. "And I'd like to _**keep**_ it that way as long as we can. I'd rather wait until we get Sophia back before saying anything to Rosa." He looked at Brian, "And yes, I know she's probably going to put my ass in a sling when this is over, but I don't want to worry her right now."

Brian couldn't help but smirk. _Yep, Rosa would __**not**__ be happy about being kept out of the loop, but he knew McGarrett was making a wise decision. _Momma Rosa would just worry herself sick if she knew something had happened to Sophia, and at the moment, there were enough people worrying and working to get her back.

"Look…..I need to get back out here with my team to work this out. Do you have a hotel or somewhere I can reach you?"

"Uh….No….. I went to Sophia's as soon as I left the airport and then came here." He closed his eyes and released a deep breath before looking Steve directly in the eyes. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Commander, but I'm not leaving here until I know she's safe. Sophia's talked about you and her brother ever since I've known her. And I know you and Soph have gotten…."

He paused for a minute…."Let's just say, I know you've gotten _closer._...since Gio died. With that in mind, I believe this is '_personal_' for you, too. It's not 'just another_**case'**_, right?"

Steve admired the man's boldness, and knowing that Brian and Sophia were such old friends, he could appreciate the candor.

"Right." Steve agreed.

Brian continued, "Okay so I'd like to **stay….**if I can. Coming from one man who cares about her to another, I'd really like to stay until you get our girl back."

Steve didn't know if it was a wise decision or not, but he decided to go along with his request. Besides, there was a good chance Sophia was going to need a doctor when they rescued her. The realization of that fact made his stomach knot….. BUT, if that was going to be the case, so who better to have along than a 'world renowned OB/GYN'? And someone she already loved and trusted.

"Okay," Steve agreed. Then, he patted him on the back, "I promise I'm going to get her back. Okay?"

Brian didn't speak….just shook his head. Then, followed Steve out where everyone else was talking.

******h50**************h50*******************h50

Two hours later, Five-0 was placed as inconspicuously as possible around the warehouse Mancini had instructed as the meeting place. The plan was that Mary would go into the building with the memory card. Upon receiving the card, both Sophia and Mary would be released.

Of course, that's not the way it was going to happen; All of them knew that full well. No career criminal at the status of Dominick Mancini and Gabriel Waincroft's was going to let two witnesses go free, but Five-0 was certain they would get both women back out safely.

**************H50********************h50****************h50

**I promise the next chapter will show Steve's rescue of Sophia and what happens afterwards. Already working on it and can't wait to see what happens. Let me know what you think of this chapter. ;) **


	13. Chapter 13

**SO SORRY for the delay! I have five stories going right now and have realized that is a LOT to have going at one time. I mean, there is only so much 'inspiration' that can come at one time! LOL….Especially when I've aldo been taking care of sick kiddos for the last several weeks (This winter has not been kind to us. HA!)**

**Anyway….I know many of you have been waiting to see how Sophia would be rescued, so here it is! Let me know what you think!**

***************h50**********************h50*************h50

Steve didn't like putting Mary directly into the line of fire, but she had insisted and he'd had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that they didn't have any other choice at this point. The clock was ticking and they had to do whatever was necessary to get Sophia back.

Kono left first in a vehicle that would be unfamiliar to anyone on Mancini's team who may be doing surveillance. She parked a couple of blocks away and was getting settled on the rooftop of a warehouse nearby with her sniper's rifle ready to go. She was the sharp shooter of team, so Steve trusted her completely to provide cover for Mary as she walked into the building.

Steve, Danny, Brian and Mary all rode together in Steve's truck to the meeting place. Chin and Grover followed separately and had SWAT on standby in case things turned ugly.

Steve parked the truck and turned around to look at his sister, "I still don't like this, Mar."

"Steve, I can handle this. Trust me." She said as she rolled her eyes and gave him her well-known 'give me a break' look.

Steve sighed. "Okay but….just don't say anything that could put Sophia _**or**_ you in any more danger."

When Mary shot him another one of her looks, he explained. "Look, we both know how sarcastic you can be…and I know you never back down from a fight…..but this time I **need you** to what I told you and trust that we're handling it from out here. Okay?"

Mary was wearing a pair of earrings that doubled as cameras. Once she was inside, she would be recording everything she looked at. Her job was to scan the room as well as she could to give them a layout…..and hopefully allow them to see how many people they were up against. She was also wearing an earpiece that would allow her to hear Steve's voice for any additional instructions and a necklace that would give them infrared images to see anyone else who might be hiding in the building and out of sight.

Brian shook his head and smiled appreciatively, "I gotta hand it to you. You guys have some pretty cool hardware…Even better than some of the technology I use in surgery."

Steve's only response was to smile at him before looking down at his watch. It was time for the exchange. They saw one of the warehouse doors open right on time as two men exited the building and stand by the door as if they were guarding it. Moments later, Steve's cell phone rang.

"Are you ready, Commander?" Mancini's voice asked on the other line.

"I'm ready. But you need to bring Sophia into view so I can see she is okay."

Steve heard a huff of frustration on the other line.

"That is NOT what we agreed, McGarrett." Mancini spat.

"Listen to me!" Steve barked, "It's taking _**all I've got**_ not to come in right now and beat your ass to a pulp. Now…._bring Sophia out_ so I can see that she is okay. Once you do that, I will send my sister over with the memory card. But BOTH women will stay in full view the entire time. Do you understand me?"

From the backseat, Danny whispered, "What are you doing?"

Steve shot him a look that told him to shut up, so Danny did so even though he didn't like it. Time was of the essence and it was not on their side. Changing plans at this hour was not a good idea. He trusted Steve's instincts, though, so he had no choice but to back down and hope things would turn out okay

Dominic Mancini reluctantly agreed to the new terms and ended the call abruptly. They watched as one of the men seemed to be listening to something in an earpiece before going back in to the building and closing the door behind him. After what seemed like an eternity but only amounted to a few minutes, the side door to the warehouse opened and he came back out with a tight hold on Sophia's arm.

Steve looked at Mary. "Okay, sis. This is it. Are you ready?"

Mary shook her head, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Minutes later, Mary was out of the vehicle and walking towards the men waiting just outside the doors with Sophia between them. From Five-0's vantage point, Sophia appeared to have some bumps and bruises. Of course, that was only going by what they could _see_ from fifty yards away. She would have to be examined by medical staff and interviewed extensively before they could be certain how much damage had been done.

Steve and Danny stepped out of the truck and watched closely for any sign of hesitation that things were 'going South'. Steve started to tense as Mary got closer. Something didn't feel right, but they had no choice but to remain calm unless something happened to give them reason to react. The worst thing to do in a hostage situation was panic because it could make things go to 'hell in a hand basket' before anyone could blink.

They almost had her…..They just had to stay calm a little while longer.

Mary got within reach of the two men standing with Sophia and stopped. One of them reached a hand out for the memory card, but she told them to let Sophia go first as Steve had instructed her to do. The men hesitated and Steve's eyes darted towards movement at the door right behind them. Before anyone had a chance to react, the man holding on to Sophia quickly moved her back inside while the other man reached for Mary. However, before he could get hold of her, Kono took him down with one shot.

With Sophia back inside and one man down, Steve watched in dismay as Mary ran inside the building right behind Sophia.

Danny looked at Steve in disbelief, "**What the hell is she **_**doing**__?_!"

Steve was too upset to respond. He looked back towards the truck where Brian had started to get out and told him to stay put. Brian looked as if he were about to argue, but Steve's glare warranted no argument.

"Get back in the truck!" He demanded. "I promise I'll get her back."

Steve said a silent prayer that the man would do as he said….The last thing they needed was another hostage. Brian didn't look happy about it, but he did as Steve asked. Whether he liked it or not, he had to trust that Steve would be a man of his word and rescue Sophia from this God-awful mess she'd landed into.

Within seconds, Steve, Danny, Chin, and Lou were all making their way towards the warehouse. Kono was at a vantage point and able to cover the entire building, so she was standing ready to give them back-up and take down anyone who exited the building with either one of the women.

Chin and Lou moved towards the side of the building with an exit door…..and a likely place for them to try to escape…..while Steve and Danny moved directly to the door they had all scrambled back into.

Finding the door unlocked, Steve shot a look towards his partner to provide cover while they entered. It was pitch black inside and they had to allow their eyes time to adjust which cost them precious moments. Steve listened for signals as to what direction they may have gone when he heard Kono coming over the earpiece.

"Boss….SOUTHWEST SIDE…They're firing up a helo. You'd better hurry or we're gonna miss them!"

_**Damn!**_ Steve fumed. That was the opposite side of the building where Lou and Chin were watching because it also the least likely scenario of where they'd considered an escape.

"We're moving that way, McGarrett!" Lou shouted over their ear pieces!

Steve and Danny began moving cautiously and quickly towards that side of the building from the inside. Before reaching the exit, they both heard a pained scream which seemed to be coming from a door to their left. Steve motioned for Danny to check it out while he continued towards the exit where the helicopter could be heard starting up.

Danny walked in and was surprised to see the other "thug" on the ground holding his 'man-parts' and wincing in pain. He looked up to see Mary standing above him with what looked to be a heavy metal pipe in her hands. She had obviously hit him with it at some point although Danny had no idea how it had transpired. Not that it mattered; What mattered was that tiny little Mary had somehow managed to get the upper hand on a 230 pound muscle bound 'bad guy'.

She noticed Danny approaching and immediately went in to a defensive stance.

"Woah, slugger," Danny began as he held up his hands. "It's just me."

"Danny…." Mary sounded relieved. She looked back to the man on the floor. "I got him!" she said excitedly.

"I can see that," he smirked. He approached the man on the ground and quickly got cuffs on him while Mary held his gun in case the man made the stupid decision to try and escape. After getting him cuffed, Danny got up and turned towards Mary. "If he moves, shoot him." He instructed.

"Got it!" Mary said confidently. "Now go help Steve!"

Danny took his extra revolver out of his shoulder holster and started running towards the door leading to the southwest side of the building. He felt a moment of panic settle over him as he saw the helicopter taking off.

_Were they too late? _

He looked around and quickly found Chin and Lou taking shots at the helo. As he continued to surveil the area, he found Steve. He had Sophia tucked behind a dumpster as he also fired shots towards the helicopter.

Unfortunately, they were too late and Mancini's helicopter succeeded in making it away safely before they were able to ground it. As Danny saw it all taking place, he was already on the phone with HPD ordering Duke to get a police helicopter in the air as soon as possible to try to apprehend them.

As soon as the helicopter holding Mancini was out of site and it was obvious they weren't going to do anymore, Danny sprinted over to where Steve and Sophia were. Lou and Chin followed close behind. Steve quickly pulled Sophia into his arms and started cradling her as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever seen.

He was still in "Commander-mode", however, and running high on adrenaline, so there were things that needed to be addressed.

"Someone call HPD!" He demanded. "We need a helo in the air before we lose this son of a bitch!"

"Already done," Danny responded.

Steve gave him a quick 'thank-you' look before turning his attention back to Sophia.

"I've gotcha, Soph…..It's gonna be okay, honey. I've gotcha."

Sophia clung to him as if her very life depended on it. He continued to hold her and stroke her back in an effort to calm her down. Even though he was focused on Sophia, there was one other person on his mind as well.

He looked towards Danny. "Where's Mary?!"

Sophia's head shot up to look at Danny as well. _Mary came in after me! If something happened to her, I will never forgive myself, _she lamented.

"She's fine," Danny assured them. "I found her with a pipe in her hand while the other guy rolled on the floor in pain." He couldn't help but chuckle, "Looks like your sister not only hit him with that pipe, but also managed to give him a good kick in the balls. He couldn't make a coherent sentence when I left them."

When Steve's expression still remained furrowed with worry, Danny continued, "I cuffed him **first**, of course….but trust me, your sister had it completely under control. She is a 'McGarrett' after all."

Steve couldn't help but grin at that statement. She was still going to get an earful from him for doing something so wreckless, but it was a great relief to hear she had managed to protect herself and bring the other guy down at the same time. With one dead and Mancini gone, hopefully the third guy would give up enough details to finally apprehend Mancini.

Within minutes, the team was making their way back around the front of the building. As soon as Brian saw Steve come around the corner with Sophia in his arms, he bolted from the truck.

"Is she okay?" His expression was pained and filled with worry as Steve continued to make his way towards the paramedics who'd just arrived.

Sophia heard his voice and lifted her face from where it had been sheltered on Steve's strong shoulder.

"Brian?!" she said with confusion. Recognizing her best friends face, she gasped, "Oh my God….Brian, what are you doing here?!"

Steve stopped in front of him but kept a tight hold on Sophia. He had no intention of setting her down just yet.

"I was worried about you so I decided to give you a surprise visit," Brian answered. "Looks like the surprise was mine, though." He reached out to stroke her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Steve felt Sophia's arms tighten around his neck. "I'm okay," she said.

"We still need to get you checked out. I'm riding with you to the hospital." Brian said

Sophia's brows creased before she looked from Brian to Steve.

"I don't need to go to…"

"You're GOING," Steve said.

"Non-negotiable," said Brian at the same time.

She looked again from one man to the other…..the men she loved more than anything in the world…..and gave in. Partially because she knew it was an argument she would never win with two alpha males at her side, and also because she was just too exhausted to argue.

Steve put her down on the gurney waiting by the ambulance. Within minutes, Brian was in the back of the ambulance riding to the hospital with Sophia while Steve followed right behind in his truck. The rest of the team made their way back to HPD to follow up on the surveillance on Mancini and pray this would end soon.


	14. Chapter 14

It took twenty minutes to get to the hospital even with sirens blaring and the ability to speed through every red light or traffic stop along the way. Steve and Danny were following the ambulance which succeeded in making it the longest twenty minutes of Steve's life. He wanted to know how Sophia was doing….He _needed _to be with her. But, he also knew what _**she**_ needed in that moment was Brian's expertise as a doctor. Having him with her may save precious minutes once they got to the hospital and Brian already had an idea what she needed upon arriving.

Steve felt a small measure of comfort knowing Mary was okay after leaving her in Kono's care. He was going to have a serious talk with his sister later…before possibly locking her up and not letting her out for a very long while…..but for now, his main concern was Sophia.

In the meantime, Chin and Lou were transporting the one perp left behind to the Palace for questioning. Steve would get to him later. He didn't care if the man had to sit in the interrogation room for 12 hours; As far as Steve was concerned, the man could sit…..and stew…and think about how he was going to negotiate himself out of the mess he was in.

"So, let me get this straight," Danny began as he gestured with his hands. Steve had learned the hand gestures were a sure sign of Danny's irritation level, so he took a breath and let it out slowly as Danny continued.

"You **allowed** him to ride in the ambulance with her? Not only did you _let him_, but you even _**suggested **_it? Why the hell would you hand her off to HIM?"

Steve sighed. He'd known this was coming since Danny was a 'glass is half empty' kind of guy and it was his nature to look at the negative side of everything.

He tried to keep his voice calm, "He's a doctor, Danny. She needs a _**doctor**_ right now. "

"Yes, I _know _he's a doctor, Steven, but he's also a _good-looking_, _rich, successful_ doctor who is supposedly her 'best friend'."

"Right!" Steve's temper began to flair as he turned to give Danny an irritated look. He was more than familiar with these conversations with Danny since they'd been having similar "carguments" for over six years. "He's a _friend_….which means he is someone she _trusts_. We've just rescued her from what was probably the most terrifying event of her life; Not to mention getting her away from one of the most dangerous men on the island. She's been _traumatized,_ and you know how victims can shut down after something like this…..and they won't talk. I figured the best thing for Sophie right now would be to get Brian with her since he can not only use his medical expertise to make sure she's okay…..but also possibly get her to talk a little about what's happened."

He looked away from the road briefly to look at Danny, "Look buddy, my main concern right now is making sure _**she **_is _okay_. Her best friend just happens to be one of the best doctors in the country…So right now I am trusting that he has her best interests at heart and will make sure she's taken care of. Can you understand that?"

"So you're not bothered by the fact he showed up out of the blue to give her a surprise visit?"

The thought had crossed Steve's mind, but only briefly. For whatever reason, he felt a sense of security over what he and Sophia shared. So in response to Danny, he shrugged and grimaced. "**Why** would I be worried?"

When Danny gave him a look, he decided to shut down the conversation. The last thing he needed was to worry about anything other than Sophia's welfare.

"Let it go, Danny. I've got it under control. I don't know how to explain it, but Sophia and I have something **special**….._**I**_ know it, _**she**_ knows it…and if you're honest, _**you**_ know it…..even though you're trying your damndest to make me doubt it right now. I'm just asking you to _let it go._ Please. Do it for me…..Okay? "

Danny wisely decided to follow his advice for once and didn't say anything else.

They rolled into the hospital right behind the ambulance. Steve barely brought his truck to a complete stop before he jumped out and asked Danny to park it and find him inside.

Brian exited the ambulance right behind Sophia and with the paramedic who had been in the back with him. Steve could see an IV in Sophia's arm and his eyes met Brian's with worry. Seeing Sophia with an IV in her arm was more unsettling to him than he'd anticipated.

He'd seen many 'victims' in similar situations over the years, so this should seem fairly routine. It anything but "routine" for Steve, though. She was different...He loved her and couldn't deny that fact any longer. Loving her made it all infinitely worse for him to watch.

Steve stood by as they got her out of the ambulance as quickly and gently as possible. His heart constricted in his chest and he felt as if he could barely breathe.

Seeing the concern on Steve's face, Brian gave him an encouraging smile as he reached a hand up to put it on Steve's shoulder. "She's just dehydrated. I started some fluids to help with that. Those bastards must not have given her much of _anything_ to drink while they had her." He sighed. "I've also given her something to calm her down a little."

"Calm her down?" Steve asked. "Calm her down….why?"

"She was having a panic attack in there, Steve. It was all I could do to get her to calm down long enough to get the IV started." Noticing the expression on Steve's face, he continued, "As you know, this is normal with trauma victims. Please trust me when I say that hers was not the worst I've seen, but she needed something to help her relax. I just gave her enough to calm her down until we can check her out further. It'll make all of this easier for her. Okay?"

All Steve could do was shake his head.

"Okay," Brian said. "Now follow me and we'll go take care of our girl."

Hearing Brian talking to someone, Sophia opened her eyes and saw Steve standing at her side as they wheeled her into the emergency room. She reached a hand out to him and he took it gratefully. He felt her fingers curl around his, and even though they were weak, that small touch was enough to calm his heart rate down as well.

She gave him a sleepy smile. "You're here….." she whispered.

He leaned down closer to her and gently moved a lock of hair away from her eyes as they continued to move her inside. "Of course, I'm here, honey" he whispered. "I'm not leaving you."

She shook her head and smiled softly again. She looked as if it was taking every bit of strength she had left to keep her eyes open. "I love you…" she whispered before closing her eyes again.

Steve swallowed a lump of emotion before looking towards Brian only to find Brian smiling back at him. The look they shared between each other spoke volumes. It said:

They both cared about her…

They both loved her…but their love for her was different.

Brian loved her as a friend or "adopted sister" while Steve's love went much deeper.

They didn't exchange words, but Steve knew in that moment he had nothing to fear where Brian was concerned.

They got in to the emergency room where nurses and a doctor who had been notified by HPD approached them. Steve was grateful to realize Duke must have called ahead to let them know that a renowned doctor was accompanying Sophia in to the hospital. This was evident in the fact that there was none of the 'red tape' Brian had anticipated upon entering an unfamiliar hospital. Most doctor's didn't appreciate when an unknown came in trying to 'steal' their patient, so he had been fully prepared for a battle of wills over who would be overseeing Sophia's care. It was a pleasant surprise when the E.R. doctor was nothing but accommodating.

First, he instructed them where to put Sophia. Then he turned towards Brian and put out his hand.

"Dr. Morris, It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dr. Jeffries…..and I understand she is a friend of yours?"

"Yes," Brian answered. "She's actually more like family, so I'd like to stay with her."

"Of course," he agreed.

Brian turned towards Steve, "Commander McGarrett needs to be with us also."

Dr. Jeffries seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding in Steve's direction. "Absolutely," he said as he put his hand out to shake Steve's as well. "Follow me, gentleman, and we'll see how she's doing. Dr. Morris, can you tell me what….if anything….you found on the way over?"

******************h50****************h50*************h50

_Two hours later…._

Sophia was waiting to be settled into a private room. Fortunately, her physical injuries were mild and limited to cuts and bruises. She had no broken or fractured bones which was a relief to everyone. Sophia had insisted that there was no need to do any other exams because there had been no sexual assault during her harrowing ordeal. Steve and Brian had both pushed her on this point….perhaps a little too hard….but she had insisted that nothing sexual had happened. That made both Steve and Brian breathe a sigh of relief. Steve already wanted to kill Mancini for what he'd done to her, so adding a sexual assault to the list would have likely pushed him over the edge.

Steve was relieved to see that she already had some of her Manetti "spunk" back and was insisting that she be able to go home. That wasn't going to happen, of course. She would be staying overnight at the very least...A fact that had her voicing her displeasure to both men in her life.

While they were waiting for Sophia to be given a room, Steve called Rosa and briefly filled her in on what had happened. As expected, Momma Rosa was not happy about being kept in the dark, but after some "talking down", she had completely understood the reasoning. Steve sent HPD to pick her up and bring her to the hospital while they were waiting for a room to open up.

By the time Rosa arrived, Kono, Mary, Lou, Chin, and Jerry were also all at the hospital. She immediately walked up to where Steve and Brian were sitting side by side and both men instinctively sat up a little straighter as she pointed one of her little fingers at Steve.

"You did not tell me my Sophie was in danger? You did not let me know my bambina was hurt? I understand you didn't want to worry me, but I am still **not** happy! Tell me…..HOW is my baby?"

Steve stood and pulled Rosa in for a hug, "I'm so sorry, Momma Rosa. I didn't want to worry you, so I waited until she was safe to tell you what was going on. She's doing very well, though…..Better than any of us expected actually."

He pushed her gently away so he could look down to her face. "You trust me, right?"

Rosa's eyes filled with tears as she let out a huff of frustration, "Of course I trust you, _figlio mio_," (meaning "my son"). "But I am still worried about my _mia bella…._ Is Sophia okay?"

At this point, Brian stood up. Seeing the look on Rosa's face, he realized she had only just realized he was there.

" Brian?"

Brian took her hands in his. "Yes, Momma Rosa. It's me."

She looked confused. "But what are you doing here?"

Brian shrugged. "I was worried about her, so I decided to come over for a visit."

Rosa gave Brian a big hug…The only kind an Italian mother can give…..before putting her face in his hands and kissing both cheeks. "Thank you, mio caro." (my dear)

She dropped her hands from Brian's face and looked between him and Steve.

"Tell me the truth…Is she okay? When can I see her?"

Steve stepped forward again. "She's okay, Rosa. Brian was with her on the way over here and he's made sure everything was checked. She's doing really well…..We're just waiting for her to get a room….and then we can visit."

"But _Steve_," Brian interjected, "is the one who saved her." He didn't even want to think about what would have happened to Sophia without Five-0's involvement, but he wasn't going to voice that to Rosa.

Rosa cast a curious glance between both of them. Her gaze lasted just long enough to make both of them feel somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't long before a small smile was crossing her lips.

"You both love my girl," she said. She waited a moment as her smile grew wider before releasing a breath. "My Gio would be so happy to see that his baby sister is in such good hands."

At that moment, the doctor walked in to inform them that Sophia had been moved to a private room. They could all visit…..but no more than four at a time. This made it difficult considering how many of the Ohana already considered Sophia as "family", so they quickly devised a plan for who and when everyone could visit. The only stipulation for the others was that Steve, Brian, and Rosa would be in with her the entire time.

******************50****************50******************


	15. Chapter 15

Each member of the Ohana took turns briefly visiting with Sophia which satisfied their concerns that she was indeed okay. After that, they began going home.

Adam came by to pick Kono up and insisted that Mary and Joannie stay with them that since Steve would be staying at the hospital. Mary tried to turn them down, but Steve pulled his big-brother card out again and insisted she take Joannie and go home with Adam and Kono. After all, Mancini was still at large. It was very likely he knew where Steve lived, so Steve wasn't taking any chances at having Mary and Joannie there unprotected. Mary finally gave in without too much of a fight. It was amazing how much easier it was to get her to hear the voice of reason since bringing Joannie into their lives.

Well, except for earlier when she disregarded everything he'd said and ran into the building after Sophia, Steve grimaced.

After everyone left, only Steve, Brian and Rosa remained. Sophia had been given something to help her sleep and was resting comfortably with Steve on one side of her bed and Brian and Rosa on the other. Dr. Jeffries returned for his final visit of the night before going home himself. He was sympathetic to the desire they all had to stay by Sophia's bedside, but hospital policy would only allow two people in the room overnight when the patient wasn't in ICU. Steve volunteered to be the one to leave…. albeit begrudgingly.

"No," Brian said as he stood up. "_I'll_ go. After the day we've had, I feel like I've finished a marathon surgery. I'll get a hotel room and get some sleep so you and Rosa can stay." He looked at Steve, and although Steve was suspicious that he wasn't being entirely truthful about his fatigue, he still appreciated Brian stepping aside to let him stay with her through the night. "Sophia needs you here when she wakes up." Brian continued.

"You don't need to….." Steve began.

"No, _**I**_ will go," Rosa said as she stood up as well. The tone of her voice left no room for argument, and although she was nearly a foot shorter than both Steve and Brian, she was a force to be reckoned with so neither man spoke a word. They just stared at her in disbelief. After all, she was Sophia's mother, so if **anyone** was to stay with her through the night, it should be her mom.

Right?

She saw the questions on their faces and took a deep breath before looking from one man to the other. She walked to the other side of the bed and reached up to take Steve's face in her hands. "**You** rescued her, _tesoro_ (sweetheart). And you are in love with her….So you stay."

Then she walked over to do the same to Brian. "And **you**, _mio caro, _insured she was okay once she got here. I will _forever _be grateful to both of you," she sniffed. "I know my _bambina_ is in good hands and will be fine…. SO, **I** am going _home_."

"Rosa," Steve began but she put up a finger to stop him.

"Shush….I'm not finished."

Steve's mouth snapped shut as Brian tried to suppress a grin. He had been on the receiving end of that "silencing finger" many times over the years himself.

"My Sophie needs you here more than she needs me. Besides, I am an old woman and I am exhausted. I know you will take care of her. SO…..I am going home to sleep and will be back in the morning."

With that, she gave them both a hug, leaned down to gently kiss her sleeping daughter, and started towards the door. It was then she remembered she'd been brought to the hospital by HPD and had no car. Steve seemed to remember at the same time.

"I'll take you home, Momma, and then I'll come back. Come on." He put a hand on her shoulder and led her out of the room.

***********h50***************h50***********************

Brian settled into the chair beside Sophia. So much had happened in the last 24 hours and he found his head spinning trying to make sense of it all. He'd been worried about her for months. Looking at her now, he saw she was noticeably thinner. He was also concerned with things he had noticed in her blood work; Evidence which seemed to confirm his suspicions that she was drinking too much.

He was also quite certain that Steve McGarrett may not even be aware of any of it; Otherwise, he was sure Steve would've already done something to stop it.

If Sophia was drinking to cover up her pain, she was probably doing it when Steve wasn't around. She'd always been very good at concealing feelings when she wanted to do so, but Brian had known her long enough to see through the façade. He heard what she _wasn't_ saying every time they talked. It was what had brought him to Hawaii in the first place.

Brian continued to watch Sophia sleep as he thought about how he was going to bring the subject up with her. Considering what she'd just been through, one could argue it wasn't an ideal time to broach the subject. However, being a doctor, Brian believed it was more important than ever since the aftermath of being kidnapped could push her even further into the depression she was trying to hide. Not only was she refusing to grieve Gio's death, but she would also be dealing with the aftermath of what she'd just experienced.

He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew the time had come for "tough love". He was determined to get through to her no matter what it took; even if it meant making Steve aware of his concerns

A nurse came in for a routine check of Sophia's vital signs. After doing so, she made a few notes on the chart at the end of the bed before giving a friendly smile to Brian.

"These chairs aren't the most comfortable. Would you like a blanket or pillow?"

"That would be great. Thanks," Brian said. "Can you bring two? Commander McGarrett will be back in a little while as well."

Hearing the voices around her, Sophia began to stir. She opened her eyes as the nurse walked out and turned towards Brian. She looked confused which was to be expected after what she'd been through.

He gave her a soft smile. "Hey, beautiful."

She gave him a sleepy grin. "Hey yourself." She looked around the room and noticed it was empty except for Brian. "Where is everyone?"

"They all went home after finding out you were okay. You have quite a group of friends around you. I see why you love them so much."

"And Steve?"

"Oh…he left to take you mom back home, but he'll be back."

The surprise showed on her face, "Mom agreed to go home? I can't believe it!"

Brian chuckled. "Neither could I, to tell you the truth. She seems to really trust Steve to take care of you."

"And you too," Sophia said. When Brian continued to look at her but remained quiet, she decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since she'd first seen him earlier. Everything was still foggy, but she remembered enough to know they hadn't planned this visit.

"Why are you here, Bri? I mean, I'm thrilled to see you, but you didn't tell me you were coming for a visit. At least I don't think you did. I wouldn't have forgotten that, would I?"

"It was a spur of the moment, thing." Brian answered. "After our last conversation, I wanted to see for myself that you were 'okay'."

Sophia swallowed nervously as she remembered that conversation:

"_Tell me the truth, Soph. How are you doing? Really."_

_Sophia huffed, "Why do we have this same conversation every time we talk? I told you….I'm fine. Really, I'm __**good**__. Things are going great with Steve. Did I tell you he gave me a camera for my birthday?" _

"_That's great, sweetie. I'm happy to hear it." _

"_So why do I get the feeling you don't believe me?"_

_He could hear the pout in her voice but ignored it. "I believe you when you say things are going well with Steve. I can hear the happiness in your voice when you talk about him. I just don't believe that you're doing 'okay' otherwise…..I can hear that as well. You forget that I __**know**__ you." _

"_You're imagining it, Bri. I'm telling you…..I'm fine."_ _Sophia's voice was soft and lacked the confidence she wanted to portray._

"_So if I was sitting beside you right now, you could look me in the eyes and tell me the same?" he asked her softly._

_Sophia had never been able to lie to Brian's face and they both knew it. She swallowed the lump in her throat but remained quiet. _

"_Soph? __**Talk**__ to me, sweetie. Please?" _

The conversation had ended like so many others in the last few months as Sophia continued to insist all was "fine" and changed the subject for the remainder of the conversation. That had been the last time she talked to Brian, and the way he was looking at her now told her he remembered it too.

"So how are things going with Kayley?" she asked light-heartedly. "Am I going to hear wedding bells soon?"

Brian smiled humorlessly; She was trying to deflect as per usual. Asking about his girlfriend was her way of trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

"She's great," Brian answered. "But that's not what I'm here to talk about and you know it."

Sophia shifted uncomfortably against her pillows.

"It's okay. We'll talk about it later," he said.

Sophia looked relieved as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Then he gave her a pointed look, "But we _will_ talk about it. Understand?"

Sophia was saved from answering when Steve walked into the room. She heard a warning bell in her mind, though, and had a sinking feeling things were going to get worse before they got better. Especially if both Brian and Steve got involved.

Steve smiled when he saw her awake and she felt her heart melt. He was carrying a vase full of roses which he sat down on the bedside table before leaning down to kiss her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay. Just tired. Thank you for the beautiful flowers."

"You're welcome."

"When are they going to let me go home?"

Steve looked towards Brian before answering. "Probably tomorrow. They're just keeping you here tonight for observation, but Dr. Jeffries and Brian both agree you should be able to leave in the morning."

"Great. I need to get back to my apartment. They made a mess of that place and I have to clean it up!"

Steve looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Are you crazy? We've already talked about this _at length_. You are not safe there, so you will be staying at **my house** until we figure this out and Mancini is in custody."

"But….."

"We've been over this, Sophia. It's not up for discussion. Understand?!" Steve interrupted.

Her frown at Steve grew deeper when she noticed the smirk Brian was trying to conceal by putting a hand to his chin.

"What's so funny?" she scowled.

He shrugged but the smirk remained. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking how good it is to see you with someone who can handle you…..even when you're being stubborn."

Sophia looked appalled. "I am **not** stubborn."

Both men chuckled at the haughtiness in her expression.

"You're ganging up on me?" she asked almost in tears.

Steve decided to have pity and try to calm her down. He sat down on the bed and took one of her hands in his before lifting it up to kiss her palm.

"We're not ganging up on you, babe. We just want you to be safe….and the safest place for you right now is with **me. **I'm not letting you out of my sight until we have Dominick Mancini and anyone else who was involved in custody." His eyes were gentle but his tone was firm.

"So what are you telling me? That I'm going to have to go into the office with you and everything until this is over? I'm not going to do that! And it's not like we're completely safe at your house either. Have you forgotten what they did _**there**_?"

Steve remembered, but he still believed the safest place for her to be was with him. "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Soph. I'm not letting you go home yet."

Sophia opened her mouth to protest, but Brian cut her off as he looked at Steve. "I'll be here for a few days, so I can stay with her while you're at work. We have some catching up to do anyway. Hopefully, this will all be over by the time I leave."

"Oh for goodness sake, I don't need a babysitter!" she spat.

"Sophia!" Brian's voice held a warning. "Steve's right. You're not safe until they have these people in custody."

Sophia muttered something in Italian, and while neither men knew exactly what she was saying, they both knew enough of the language to hear a swear word….or three…..and the word "_idiota_!"

When she finished her rant, she crossed her arms in front of her. "Fine!"

They both decided to ignore her mood. She'd been through a lot and had every right to feel angry, violated, and scared.

"Okay….so it's settled. Now, if you want Dr. Jeffries to release you tomorrow, you need to get some sleep, honey." Brian instructed. He saw the fatigue in her eyes even though she was trying to stay awake.

Steve reached up to move a strand of hair from her forehead. "He's right. Close your eyes. We're both gonna be here all night."

Without saying a word, she shook her head, sighed, and closed her eyes. She was fast asleep within minutes.

***************H50**************H50***************h50

Next chapter is started and we are going to see Brian and Steve have a serious conversation about Sophia. I am interested to see what happens. I believe the two men in Sophia's life are going to make a great team where Sophia's well being are concerned.

Let me know what you think! ㈴2


	16. Chapter 16

Steve and Brian spent a restless night at Sophia's bedside. Sedatives had given her an advantage since she seemed to sleep considerably well.

Rosa walked in to her daughter's room at 7 a.m. and smiled at the scene in front of her; All three of them were sleeping.

She loved these kids, and although she acknowledged they were actually grown adults, they would always still be "her kids".

Brian looked incredibly uncomfortable trying to sleep in the chair at Sophia's bedside even with the pillow he was holding and resting his head against. He was a big man, after all, and was noticeably bigger than the chair he was awkwardly curled into.

Steve was on the bed with his arms wrapped protectively around Sophia as he held her close to him. Rosa's heart swelled at the sight. Who would have thought so many years ago that her son's best friend would one day fall in love with the 'little sister'?

Of course, Rosa had been aware of Sophia's crush on Steve McGarrett from the beginning. Sophia may have hidden it from Gio and Steve, but she'd never fooled her momma.

Steve was handsome….smart….motivated…strong…and had a smile that could reduce nearly _any_ woman to a puddle of goo. (At least that had been Rosa's interpretation as she watched her son and Steve together.)

Steve also came from a good family and had integrity. He was "good people", as some would say. A mother could sense those things, and Rosa had always been happy about her son's friendship and 'brotherhood' with Steve.

There were many times she'd watched her precious Gio and Steve together and thought, "God help the women who cross their paths….They won't stand a chance!"

The age gap between Steve and Sophia may have seemed insurmountable and inappropriate when they were younger, but _now_ everything was coming together.

After losing Gio, Rosa was relieved when Steve stepped in without question to look after her daughter. Having Steve and Sophie fall in love with each other was a **bonus**. Although neither one of them had talked about "love" to Rosa, she saw it in the way they looked at each other.

It was also obvious in the way he was holding Sophia as he laid behind her with his arms wrapped protectively around her. She was pulled close to his body and enveloped in his arms. Rosa couldn't help but say a silent prayer of "thanks" as she realized Steve had moved from _family friend_ to the man who was _in love_ with her baby girl.

And she couldn't be happier about that.

Looking at them, Rosa was certain Steve had taken on the role of Sophia's '_**protector**_'. She could breathe a sigh of relief as a mother knowing confidently that he would find the men who had hurt her precious Sophia and bring them to justice.

Brian opened his eyes. "Rosa….." he sat up in his chair and winced a little at the crick he felt in his neck after sleeping in such a position. Then he gave her a sleepy grin. "Good morning."

She smiled at him and whispered, "Good morning, _mio cara_." She held up a basket. "I brought you all some breakfast. "

Brian took the basket from her and chuckled quietly when he peered inside. "When did you have time to do this?"

"Not to worry, sweetie. You boys took care of my Sophia last night….Now **I** will take care of **you**."

The basket held fresh fruit, homemade muffins and juice. She even included a thermos of hot coffee.

"You're the _best_, Momma Rosa! I'm starving." Brian stood to put an arm around her and pull her in for a hug as he kissed her cheek.

Rosa blushed in spite of herself. "EAT, child. You must be very hungry."

Steve started to stir. When he saw Rosa standing there, he started to get up off the bed until she put a hand out to stop him. "Stay," she whispered. "Keep holding her."

Steve used one hand to rub his eyes and try to wake up more fully.

"She brought breakfast," Brian whispered. "_**And **_coffee."

"Oh thank, God," Steve breathed. "Hospital coffee is the _worst_."

"You don't have to tell _me_ that! I drink hospital coffee every day. Remember?" Brian chuckled.

Steve grinned and looked back at Rosa. "Thanks, Momma. We owe you."

"No, no _bambino._ I owe **you.**"

The door opened and Dr. Jeffries walked in. Steve was still holding Sophia and the doctor gave him an appreciative gaze. As a doctor in the emergency room area, he'd seen his share of trauma victims over the years. Those who faced traumas like what Sophia had been through normally experienced at least some form of PTSD. He was happy to see that she would have a Navy SEAL _**and**_ an experienced trauma surgeon at her side during the recovery. The psychological effects were often much worse than the physical, so a support system was crucial.

"Good morning, Doctor. I was just…..uh…." Steve stammered as he tried to sit up.

"…..You were holding her while she slept…..and keeping the nightmares away," Dr. Jeffries finished for him in a hushed voice. It was obvious to him that this Navy SEAL may have experienced his own PTSD and knew exactly what to do to help her.

"Yeah," Steve smiled relieved that the doctor understood.

"That's some of the best medicine for her, Commander." Dr. Jeffries continued to whisper. "But we need to wake her so I can exam her once more and try to get you all out of here in the next couple of hours."

Steve didn't need any more motivation. He wanted to get her home….In his house, in his bed, in his care.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Wake up, babe. Dr. Jeffries is here to see you."

Sophia grumbled sleepily and tried to snuggle back into the pillow.

"Do you want to go home today? Come on, Soph….Wake up so we can get out of here."

Sophia reluctantly opened her eyes and was surprised to see Brian, her mother, and Dr. Jeffries standing by the bed as well.

"Good morning, Miss Manetti. How are you feeling?" Dr. Jeffries asked.

"Okay," she answered even though she winced as she sat up beside Steve. "I mean….I'm a little sore…..but I feel okay. Can I go home, Doctor? Please?"

"That's what we're going to shoot for," Dr. Jeffries said as he stepped towards the bed. Steve got up to give him the room he needed. After a few minutes, the Doctor made some notes on her chart before smiling at all of them.

"I'll get you out of here. Give me time to work on the discharge papers and I'll try to get you out of here in the next hour. Sound good?"

"Sounds GREAT!" Sophia beamed at him.

Dr. Jeffries left the room and Brian gave Steve a pointed look. "Wanna get some coffee with me?"

Rosa thought it was suspicious since she'd already brought coffee for them. She hid her trepidation, however; Having raised a son of her own_ and_ being around both Steve and Brian for many years, she knew there was more to the request than just a simple '_cup of coffee_'. She sensed there was something _more_ for them to discuss…..Something that involved her daughter whom both of these men cared for.

Steve seemed to sense the same thing.

He shook his head and gave a friendly smile. "Sure…..Let's go." Then he leaned down to kiss Sophia. "I'll be right back."

Sophia looked uncertain.

"I will stay with her." Rosa said. "_**Go**_. Hopefully we'll be ready to go by the time you get back."

Sophia remained silent and watched nervously as they walked out together.

'Warning bells' were signaling in her mind. She had a daunting feeling Brian was going to share his concerns about her with Steve. Attempting to keep Brian at ease and convince him she was 'ok' had been difficult enough….If he brought _**Steve**_ into the equation, she didn't stand a chance. Dealing with _one_ alpha male was difficult enough to deal with, but _**two **_would be damn near impossible.

This was not good.

Not good at all.

There was no way they would _let it go_. And while she knew in her heart she needed help, her mind was screaming to STOP them from talking to each other because she just wasn't ready to feel the pain that grieving her brother's death would bring.

She wasn't ready for the pain…

….Or the tears…

…Or the 'letting go'.

She had a sinking feeling it was going to happen, however; Especially if they joined forces against her.

Sophia watched anxiously. Before closing the door, Steve turned and winked at her before following Brian into the hallway.

What the heck had happened, she wondered. One day she had both of them believing she was okay…..And a few days later, she knew with certainty they were going to 'tag team' against her.

_What_ was she going to do?

*****************H50*****************H50**************H50****

Steve and Brian walked half the distance towards the vending machine in silence before Steve spoke up.

"So Brian…..wanna tell me what this is about?"

Brian expression gave nothing away as he shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted to have coffee with you."

Steve shook his head as he smiled half-heartedly. "Not buying it. Rosa _brought us_ coffee….and I guarantee you it's a hell of a lot better than what we're going to get from a vending machine."

They kept walking.

"What's on your mind?" Steve asked after a few more steps.

Brian's expression was serious as he sighed. Steve could see that his heart was heavy. He could even hear it in his sigh and the way his shoulders were slumped and his eyes were dark.

"Let's find a place to sit." Brian said as he put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "We need to talk."

Steve felt his heart sink. Could it be the worries he'd felt himself could be true? If Brian was sensing the same thing _**he'd**_ felt lately, there was no way they could let Sophia get away with it any longer. She needed them…..And if they needed to kick her ass to get her back on the 'straight and narrow', that's what they would do.

They made their way to a Waiting Room and were relieved to find it empty. They tried to take advantage of the privacy while it lasted and took seats across from each other in the quiet room. Steve waited patiently for Brian to talk as he leaned back into the chair and watched. Brian held his cup of coffee with both hands and looked down at the floor as if trying to figure out what to say or where to start.

"I'm worried about Sophie," Brian finally said.

"Me too," Steve admitted. "Tell me why _you _are worried."

Brian released a heavy sigh. "She hasn't been the same since Gio died, Steve." He took a sip of coffee and grimaced at the bitter taste before continuing. "Honestly…She's been getting worse every time I've talked to her. I can hear it in her voice."

Steve's voice was low and filled with worry. He had noticed it too. "Tell me what you've heard."

"Have you ever known someone who just completely lost their thirst for life? It's like the person they were is gone and what's left is a hollow shell of what they use to be."

Steve tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Yeah."

"Well, Sophia is trying her damnest to pretend everything is fine…That _she_ is fine. But she forgets how well I know her."

"And you know she's not grieving Gio's death," Steve confirmed.

"No….she's not," Brian agreed. "What's worse is that I think her method for coping with it is doing her more harm than good."

"And by that you're referring to her drinking, right?"

Brian's browsed creased, "Sounds like you and I are on the same page more than I realized. So how bad do you think it is?"

It was Steve's turn to let go of a heavy sigh. "I don't know. Right after Gio died, I tried to excuse the times I found her drunk. I mean, I knew how much pain she was in and I tried to be there for her as much as I could, but there were times I knew she went too far. She would be completely wasted by the time I talked to her or saw her. Then, it seemed like she started doing better…Or at least I thought so. It wasn't until recently that I realized she was actually worse than ever."

"What happened?" Brian asked.

"A couple of weeks ago, I had a day off and she needed some things fixed on her car. I told her I would look at it, so I brought it to my house and got it into the garage. I opened the trunk for some reason…Can't remember why…but when I opened it, I found two boxes _full_ of empty bottles; Wine, liquor, you name it. She'd probably planned on taking them out for recycling and forgot they were in there when she let me have the car."

Brian exhaled heavily. "I was afraid of that."

"So what about you?" Steve asked. "You said you've heard it in her voice when you've talked, but what is it that convinced you to come here for yourself?"

Brian looked pensive and looked down at the floor again. "The last few times I've talked to her, her words have slurred more than ever. She's also gotten increasingly angry and defensive if I bring anything up about it. She either just shuts down and won't talk to me or changes the subject."

He looked back at Steve, "I decided to give her a surprise visit to see for myself how she's doing. She's never been able to lie to my face." He gave Steve a wry grin, "Of course I wasn't expecting that she'd be kidnapped when I got here, but…"

Steve rolled his eyes and grinned at Brian before they both grew serious again.

"So now that we both realize there are bigger issues at stake, what are we going to do about it?"

"Well, first I need to get the SOB who kidnapped her behind bars. Then, we're going to save her from herself," Steve said confidently. "No matter what it takes."


	17. Chapter 17

**It's time to begin finding resolutions to all of this chaos. **

**Steve and Brian are going to confront Sophia and help her begin the process of grieving. Steve may also find he has some grieving of his own to do regarding Gio's death which could get interesting. **

**WARNING: There is some bad language in this chapter, so you may want to skip it if you don't like that. However, Brian and Steve are determined to get through to Sophia even if they have to be TOUGH in the process. Just FYI. **

****************h50******************h50********************h50**

Steve drove Sophia home while Brian followed in the car he had rented for the weekend. Mary and Joannie would be joining them later for dinner before flying back to LA the following morning.

Steve's phone rang on the way and Caller ID told him it was Chin.

"Chin, what's up?"

"Just wanted to give you a heads up that we have a possible lead on Manetti's whereabouts."

Steve saw Sophia tense beside him, so he reached over to take her hand in his.

"What did you find out?" he asked Chin.

"One of the guys we arrested decided it was in his best interest to cooperate with us as long as we provide protection for him until this is over."

"Okay. Let me get Sophia home and I'll come in. Keep him in interrogation until I can talk to him."

"What about Sophia? Need me to send someone over to stay with her."

"No, Brian's following us back to my place so he'll be with her."

After a few more instructions from Steve, they ended the call. Steve looked from the road briefly to gauge Sophia's expression. She looked terrified, so he squeezed her hand again.

"Hey…"he said softly.

She sat stoically beside him and didn't respond.

"Look at me, Soph."

After a few more seconds, she turned to him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

She didn't trust herself to speak without her voice trembling, so she shook her head in agreement. Steve smiled at her and lifted her hand to give it a quick kiss. "It's gonna be okay, babe. I promise."

A few minutes later, they arrived at Steve's home. He exited the truck and met Brian to tell him what was going on. They all made their way into the house where Sophia started to move upstairs to take a bath. She wanted desperately to wash away the horror of the last few days and the antiseptic smell clinging to her after spending a night in the hospital. She made it up the first couple of steps before Steve stopped her by pulling her into his arms for a kiss. She rested her head against his chest and breathed in the scent she'd become so familiar with. Just having him hold her and smelling his aftershave was enough to calm her heart rate down as she marveled at the affect he had on her. He continued to hold her as he rested his chin on top of her head. Then, he kissed her one last time before letting her go to walk upstairs.

When water could be heard running for a bath, Steve motioned for Brian to join him in the kitchen. He reached on top of the refrigerator and pulled down a revolver that was hidden discreetly behind some bags of tortilla chips.

"Do you know how to use this?" Steve asked as he chambered a round and checked to make sure it was fully loaded.

"Absolutely." Brian said as he reached for it.

Steve handed it to him. "Good…Do whatever you have to do to protect her and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You got it."

"Oh, and make yourself at home," he told Brian. "I wish the circumstances were better, but I have a feeling we'll get to know each other better soon." When Brian returned his smile, he said, "I'll keep you updated, but if you need anything, here are mine and Danny's cell numbers. Don't hesitate to call."

Steve left to meet with his team at HQ and Brian used the time Sophia was in the shower to think about the next step in dealing with her. He couldn't ignore what had brought him to Hawaii in the first place, so the concerns needed to be addressed. Undoubtedly, the timing sucked but there were things they needed to deal with whether she wanted to or not.

He walked through the house and made his way out to the lanai. Steve's backyard was somewhat of a sanctuary and Brian could understand why Sophia was comfortable there. Not only did she have Steve in her life now, but this peaceful and tranquil space undoubtedly provided a place for her to relax and escape.

After a few moments standing in the grass and watching the waves roll in, he thought he heard Sophia. He walked back in to the house where he found her in the kitchen fresh out of the bath and pouring herself a glass of wine. She held up the bottle, "Want some?"

Brian leaned against the door jam and crossed his arms in front of him.

_Baby steps_, he told himself. They were going to have to take small steps to get where they needed to go and it was going to be hard as hell to do so. However, he knew he needed to tread gently after what she had been through in the last few days.

"One glass," he said holding up a finger. "One glass for _each_ of us and that's it."

He saw her swallow nervously as she poured him a glass before turning to hand it to him. He knew she wanted to say something in protest but had stopped herself from doing so. Brian took the glass and reached out his other hand to her.

"Come on. We need to talk."

Her eyebrows shot up again in surprise. "Seriously Brian, this isn't the time to…"

Brian took her hand anyway. "That wasn't a _request_, sweetie. Come on. We're going to talk."

She had no choice but to follow him since he was holding her hand and pulling her in the direction of the lanai.

Once outside, they both settled into Adirondack chairs in the yard and listened to the waves rolling in. Sophia sipped quietly on her wine. Brian seemed to be waiting on her to speak, and after a few minutes of silence, she couldn't take the silence any longer.

She tried to sound lighthearted. "Okay, so I know you didn't bring me out here to just look at the water. Wanna tell me what's on your mind?-And why you're here in Hawaii? You're kinda scaring me."

When Brian turned towards her, his expression had grown _serious_. _Pensive. Worried. _

He held her gaze as he took in a deep breath and contemplated how to begin the conversation he'd been dreading.

"I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me. _No more bullshit._ Got it?"

Her eyes widened at his bluntness. "Okay."

"How are you doing?" he asked her softly.

A nervous laugh escaped her as she stood up and crossed her arms defensively in front of her. "Did you really fly all the way here from L.A. just to ask me how I'm _doing_?"

She was stalling again, but he wasn't about to let her off the hook. Not this time.

"Sit down," he demanded. When she didn't comply right away, he said it again as he pointed to her chair. "_Sit __**d**_**own**. _**Right now.**_"

She sighed and did as he said but wouldn't look at him.

"To answer your question…No. The reason I flew here was so I could ask you that question and make you look me in the eyes when you answered."

This time she did look at him albeit nervously. "What are you talking about?" She tried to sound unruffled, but the slight tremor in her voice gave her away.

She saw the frustration grow on his face even though his voice remained even.

"You should know by now you can't lie to me," he began. "I know you too well. Every time we've talked over the last several months, you've told me you were 'fine'…or you were 'doing great'. I have a feeling you've done the same thing with your Mom….and Steve…..and everyone else who cares about you. I was willing to let it slide in the beginning because I figured you needed some time and would eventually open up."

He put his hand on her chin and forced her to look at him. "But that hasn't happened," he said pointedly. "Instead of opening up, you've completely shut down. So _**no**_, you are **NOT** 'fine'. And depending on the time of day, I've been able to hear the 'slur' you're trying to hide in your voice when we've talked lately which tells me you're drinking too much in order to not have to _deal_ with it."

Fire flashed in her eyes when she looked at him, but he kept pushing her.

"I will ask you _**again**_…and this time I want the truth." He paused until he knew he had her attention. "**Talk **to me. Tell me what's going on."

She looked out at the water and was quiet for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts and tried to keep the tears at bay that were just under the surface. He could practically hear her mind spinning as she tried to figure a way to explain her way out of the situation she was in.

She squared her shoulders, took a steadying breath and looked at him before her voice grew sarcastic. "Nothing's going on, Bri. I mean nothing besides the fact that I lost my only brother a few months ago. Ya know…Life goes on. We have to move on, right?" She lifted the glass to her lips and took another sip.

His face softened, "But you _**aren't**_ moving on, honey. That's the problem."

Brian's eyes were unyielding and she knew without a doubt she couldn't fool him anymore even though she was trying valiantly to do so. He had the most piercing blue eyes and whenever he looked at her like this, it had always broken down every resolve she had.

His honesty broke her down even further causing her to look away again as her eyes began to fill. "I just…..I _can't__**! **_I mean, I _**can't**_!" Her voice choked and he saw tears begin making their way down her cheeks.

He knew they were almost there; Almost to the breakthrough she needed but had denied herself for several months.

"You can't _what_?" he asked her just as softly even though he knew the answer.

"I don't know _how_…to _move on_." She turned to look at him and the pain he saw in her eyes coupled with the tears that filled them shattered his heart. "I just don't know how to let him go, Bri!"

He stood up and pulled her to him as she broke down. He held her close as her sobs set free months of pent up emotions that were begging to be released. He spoke soothingly to her, kissed her head, and held her close as she cried it out.

When she had calmed down, they settled back into the chairs.

"Who says you have to let him go?" he asked gently. "It's not about letting him _go_…It's about learning how to hold on to the memories with him but still going on with your life. Right now you're stuck. I mean, you haven't dealt with it _at all_…..You've only pushed it down and tried to bury it."

"It hurts too much…..I just can't do it."

"YES, you can!" His voice was insistent and urgent. "Listen to me, sweetie…You are not in this alone. Okay? But, you're not gonna be able to move on until you allow yourself to grieve. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's true. This is a **process**…..and it takes _time_…..and you are going to have to _allow yourself_ to work through it."

"I don't **have **time!" she spat as she got angry again. He watched as she stood up and began to pace again along the water's edge. He let her go this time knowing this is what she did: Sophia had always been one to pace when she needed to talk something out. If their years of friendship had taught him anything, it was that it was best to let her get it out.

Then, **he **was going to step in and tell her what _he_ thought about it. And whether she wanted to or not, she would _listen_. He would make sure of it.

"I don't have **time,**" she repeated.

"Why not? What don't you have time for, Soph? Are you telling me you don't have time to take care of yourself?"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I can't worry Momma. She's having trouble dealing with Gio being gone and I can't worry her. And I can't put it on Steve. I mean, he works his ass off and doesn't need to hear about it when we're together. He needs to relax and not be weighed down by anything else. Gio is GONE, Bri." Another sob escaped her, "He's gone and I can't change that."

Sophia heard the sarcasm in his voice when he spoke again. "So what you're telling me is that you believe Steve doesn't know how much you're hurting? You actually believe you have him fooled? Or ME for that matter?"

She glared at him but said nothing.

He stood up in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her towards him. "Answer me, dammit! Do you think we haven't noticed the pain you've been in since Gio died? Do you really think we don't see the **pain** you're in every day and haven't been _frustrated as hell_ because you won't allow yourself to talk about it?"

"Shut up!" she spat as she pushed his arms away. "I am **not **doing this," her voice was defiant but he was unphased.

"**YES, you are. **You're doing this with **me**….._Right __**now**_. Let me ask you something else: Do you think we don't know you're drinking to cover up the pain? It's gotten out of control, sweetie, and it's stopping NOW_._ Do you understand me? I'll be damned if I sit by and watch you kill yourself."

"What are you talking about? I'm not out of control…I know how much I can handle." She lifted her chin defiantly. If the situation weren't so serious, he may've had to laugh at her bravado.

"Right," he said sarcastically. "Well, it ends now. This is it….Steve and I are in agreement on this. It ends now."

Brian's phone vibrated on the table beside them. He saw Steve's name on the Caller ID and picked it up.

"I need for you to bring Sophia down here as soon as you can," Steve said.

Brian looked at Sophia. "We'll be right there," he answered before hanging up.

Time for a break, but they would be revisiting the conversation soon…..Probably with Steve there too.

**************h50*****************h50********************h50


	18. Chapter 18

"Steve wants me to bring you downtown."

"Wh-Why?" Sophia couldn't stop the shake in her voice. It was as if Dominick Mancini had taken away every bit of her courage so that the mere thought of him made her tremble. She'd never allowed herself to be intimidated by anyone, so she needed to pull herself together. Unfortunately, the pep talks she was giving herself weren't working.

"I'm not sure," Brian answered. "Let's go find out."

Once they got in the car and started the drive towards HQ, Sophia summoned the courage to ask the question plaguing her mind since she'd seen Brian and Steve walk out together at the hospital.

"What we talked about a little while ago…..about me not dealing with things…..You talked to Steve about it too, didn't you?"

Brian stole a glance at her before turning back to the road. "Yes."

"But why?" She couldn't hide the betrayal she felt at having her best friend go behind her back.

Brian knew it would happen and had been willing to risk having her angry with him for a while if it meant they could help her. Besides, if Steve was the man Brian believed him to be, he'd also figured Steve would already have concerns of his own about Sophia's behavior. He didn't believe Steve would be surprised….and his assumption was correct. Both men knew it was time for some 'tough love' which was never easy to do.

"I know you feel like I betrayed you," he looked over at her again and the worry she saw in his eyes took her breath away, "but I did it for your own good. Besides, I didn't tell Steve anything he didn't know already. He's known for a little while that you have a problem."

"But how did he know?"

Brian figured it was Steve's place to give her details if he wanted to do so. So he kept his answers somewhat vague. "You'll have to ask him that. All I can say for sure is that he loves you, Soph. You're not going to be able to fool him anymore than you can me."

Her lip quivered as she clasped her hands tightly in her lap. "I don't want to lose him, Bri."

"I don't think that's going to happen, honey. But you're going to have to be honest with him from here on out."

"I know," Sophia said sadly. She supposed Steve would stay with her forever if they made it through this. The last several months had been the worst of her life. Steve had been the only 'bright spot' and the only thing that kept her going. It was both comforting and frightening to realize how much he meant to her and how much she loved him.

Brian pulled into a parking spot at the Five-0 headquarters. "Okay, let's go see what's going on."

They walked into the building and were immediately given "Visitors" passes so they could go upstairs. They entered the doors to the Five-0 offices and found Steve, Danny, and Kono around the smart table. Jerry was there as well. Lou, Chin, and Abbie were all noticeably missing and Sophia wondered why.

Seeing them come in, Steve walked over and took Sophia's hand. She looked more relaxed after having a bath and getting on clean clothes, but there was no disguising the fear he could still see in her eyes. Mancini was going to pay for putting it there, he vowed.

He smiled at her, "Feel better?"

"A little," she answered.

Steve glanced at Brian briefly and the two men shared a look that told him Brian and Sophia must've broached the subject he'd flown to Hawaii to investigate. They would be dealing with that later and Steve planned on being in on the conversation…or intervention….or whatever it turned out to be.

Steve led her over to the table and Brian followed.

"SWAT apprehended Mancini a little while ago. They should be here soon."

Sophia stiffened.

Steve tried to calm her fears. "They'll take him directly to our interrogation room, so you don't need to worry, Okay?"

Her beautiful brown eyes were uncertain as she looked at Steve but didn't say anything. He wished he could take that look away from her and make sure she never had to worry again.

He was going to kill Mancini. Or at least make him _wish _he was dead.

"What happens when he's here in your interrogation room?" Brian asked. Sophia was obviously feeling frightened at the prospect of him being in the same building. Brian, however, sounded as if he could barely control the rage he felt towards the man who had terrorized her. Steve understood the feeling.

"When he gets here, he and I are going to have a little chat," Steve said. Everyone knew exactly what that meant: Dominick Mancini would most likely be in a world of hurt when Steve was finished with him and none of them cared to stop him. He deserved whatever was coming.

"So why did you need _me_ here?" Sophia was afraid to ask but had to know.

Steve's expression turned sympathetic. "You're going to have to identify him as the one who kidnapped you."

"**No!** Are you kidding me? I can't….I **won't**…..Absolutely not!" Sophia's voice was insistent. She couldn't bear seeing that monster again. Jerking her hand out of Steve's she began running for the door.

"Sophia!" Steve called after her but she kept going.

Brian started to follow her but Steve put an arm on his shoulder. "I'll get her."

Steve met her just as she started to descend the steps taking her to the bottom floor. He grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"Steve, please don't. You can't make me do this…..I can't believe you would even _**ask me **_to do this! I can't!"

Steve's voice remained calm. "Honey, listen to me. You know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't necessary. And I know it sucks, but charges won't stick unless you 'officially' identify him as your kidnapper."

Her whole body started to tremble as he pulled her back up the steps to stand in the hallway just outside the HQ doors. Her breathing became erratic, her eyes were darting back and forth, and he worried she would fall into a full-blown panic attack.

He pulled her tightly against his chest and spoke soothingly to her. "Deep breaths, Soph….Take some deep breaths for me."

He felt her comply, "Good girl…..Now another…..Deep breath in and let it out slowly." He did it with her a few more times and felt the tremors began to cease. Once she calmed down, he pushed her back so he could look at her but never let go of his hold on her.

"He won't see you. I promise. He won't even know you're there, okay? Plus, he'll be handcuffed to a chair in our interrogation room and will have no way to even stand up. I just need for you to make an official identification for HPD. That's it. Then, I'll take it from there."

"Promise?" she asked weakly.

Steve tried to smile at her encouragingly and gave her a wink, "I promise."

"What are you going to do to him?"

His expression grew dark. "I don't want you to worry about it."

"But I don't want you to get into trouble…I mean…."

Steve put a finger up to her mouth to stop her. "Listen to me. Everything will be fine. We have 'full immunity and means'…..Meaning we aren't necessarily held to the same standards as other cops. If Dominick Mancini happens to fall and break an arm…..or get his face beat in by the wall…or has his balls handed to him on a platter…..They'll look the other way."

She knew he was trying to lighten the moment and she couldn't help but grin.

Steve returned it with one of his own. "There's the smile I love so much," he said before taking her face in his hands and kissing her. "Come on. Let's go back."

He led her back into the offices where everyone was relieved to see her back. Danny was on the phone and ended the call when they walked in.

"Chin and Abbie are taking him downstairs," he said.

He left Sophia with Brian and Kono as he and Danny made their way downstairs. It was time for that 'chat' with Dominick Mancini.

*****************h50*********************h50*******************h50

Steve unlocked the door and watched Mancini look up as he and Danny entered the room.

"Commander McGarrett. Fancy meeting you here." He had the audacity to smirk and he spoke confidently. "I want my lawyer."

Steve chuckled humorlessly and folded his arms in front of him. "We'll get to that eventually. First, I want to ask you some questions."

"You can't question me without an attorney present if that's what I request. I know my rights!"

"Oh but I _can_…" Steve answered. "In fact, I can keep you here strapped to that chair as long as I want without calling anyone. So the first question is whether or not you're going to make this easy or hard on yourself. Personally, I'm hoping you choose the difficult route."

"You're not getting anything from me," he growled.

"I'm going to get it from you one way or another." Steve moved closer and leaned down until he was inches in front of Dominick's face. "I want to know what's so important on the memory card that you would kidnap Sophia Manetti in order to get your hands on it."

Dominick grinned, "Maybe I just wanted _her_. She's very beautiful, don't you think?"

"Oh boy….." Danny whispered. _This guy must be a special kind of stupid to taunt McGarrett._

"Okay…The 'hard way' it is." Steve said as he stood back up, took of his watch, and handed both the watch and his badge to Danny. "Give me a few minutes alone with him."

Dominick shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Danny looked at Steve. "Sure thing." Then he turned to Dominick, "Word of advice? Now might be a good time to strongly consider cooperating with him."

Once Danny closed the door behind him, Steve walked behind the chair and unlocked the cuffs holding Dominick to the chair. He wasted no time picking him up by his shirt collar, turning him around and trapping him against the wall. With his arms pulled behind him and McGarrett at his back, he couldn't move.

"Remember when I told you I would rip your heart out if you touched her?" Steve asked.

When he didn't answer, Steve twisted one arm higher on his back causing him to scream in pain. "DO YOU remember?!"

"Yes!" Dominick answered.

"You're about to find out that I am a man of my word." he spat.

Danny waited in the hallway and tried to ignore what he heard going on inside the room. After all, Steve had once given him the opportunity to beat the hell out of a child predator who had abducted girls and held them for years before murdering them. He felt he owed Steve the same courtesy given how Mancini had kidnapped and terrorized Sophia. He certainly deserved whatever Steve gave him, which from the sounds of it was a total and complete ass kicking.

Several very long minutes later, Steve opened the door and reached for his badge and watch as he motioned for Danny to join him in the interrogation room again. Danny handed them over and followed Steve back in to the room where he found Mancini cuffed to the chair again. His face had numerous lacerations and his nose appeared to be broken if the swelling around it was any indication. He was also wincing in pain at having his arms in such an uncomfortable position.

When he saw Danny come into the room, he tried to plead for help. "He broke my nose…..and my ARM!" he yelled. "I need medical help…..and I want to file charges!"

"Yeah…..we'll get right on that," Danny said sarcastically before looking over at Steve. "You okay?"

Steve wiped sweat from his forehead and tried to move his fingers that were already swelling from the exertion they'd just received. "I'm fine."

"Okay, so are you ready to talk or do I need to leave you with Steve a bit longer?" Danny asked Dominick.

***************h50***************h50*****************h50

Steve and Danny walked back in to HQ and all eyes turned to Steve. Sophia was sitting on the couch in Steve's office and stood up when she saw him before quickly walking out to join him.

Her eyes were full of worry. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Steve pulled her in for a hug as he looked at everyone else, including Brian, to secretly let them know Mancini had been 'dealt with'.

"I'm fine, babe."

"Mancini on the other hand? Not so much," Danny quipped.

Sophia pushed back and looked at Steve's face again to see for herself that he was okay. Then, she noticed the knuckles on his right hand and was startled to see how red they were. They'd also begun to swell. "Oh my gosh..._Steve_…...What did you…..."

"It's nothing," he assured her.

"Well, it doesn't _look_ like 'nothing'." She frowned. "Brian, look at his hand. Do you think it's broken?"

"It's not broken….Trust me. Listen, I told you he wouldn't hurt you again and I meant it. He has been thoroughly convinced to stay away from you. This….." he said holding up his hand and looking at his knuckles, "….is nothing."

"You're gonna want to ice that soon," Brian confirmed but he was smiling at Steve as he did so. Steve smiled back and saw Brian mouth a silent "Thank you."

"Mancini's crying for a doctor, too….If you're interested." Danny said but he was smiling too.

Brian's smile turned to a frown "Not a chance."

"Okay, so we'll give it a few minutes and then I'll take Sophia down to make the identification. Sound good?" Steve said it as if he were just deciding on what to have for dinner. She couldn't help but feel relieved that this may be coming to an end.

****************h50*******************h50*******************h50

**I just love bad-ass Steve, so this was fun to write. We'll have to revisit Sophia's other problem in the next chapter, and this time Steve will be involved. **


End file.
